Continued exercises in ceasefire areas

^{By Hseng Khio Fah
22 October 2008}

On 19 October, Brig-Gen Way Lin, Deputy Commander of the Triangle Region Command and Colonel Than Htut Thein, General Staff Officer (GSO 1) including Mong Khark Area Commander Col Nay Lin met with some officers from United Wa State Army (UWSA) based in Mongphen-Hotao.

“They came along with 7 trucks,” said a driver whose truck run between Keng Tung and Mongla.

The visitors found the UWSA training its soldiers and building trenches and bunkers along the borders of their domains since July despite the Burma Army’s pressure.

“The UWSA has already trained 3 batches. Its takes one month per batch and there were about 600 fighters in each batch,” said the source.

The commanders returned to meet with an officer from Hsalue-based 369th Brigade, National Democratic Alliance Army-Eastern Shan State (NDAA-ESS), according to a source close to NDAA-ESS.

However, there has been no information about what was discussed with both groups.

Since June, regional commanders in Shan State have made several visits to ceasefire groups in order to persuade them to contest the 2010 elections.

On 6 October, Maj-Gen Kyaw Phyo, Commander of Kengtung-based Triangle Region Command met with officers of the UWSA’s 171st Military Region in Mongton township, opposite Chiangmai.

“There are two factions in the UWSA. While the faction in the North is training their units, the one in the South is just focusing on their business,” said a political observer on the Sino-Burma border.

“A political group and a business group can rely on each other only up to an extent. I don’t think they can go together indefinitely,” said Col Yawd Serk, Chairman of the Shan State Army (SSA-S).