No.15 - 03/2006
17 March 2006

Politics

Shan ceasefire group holds closed door meeting

Leaders of the Shan State Army-North have recently wrapped up a week long meeting at their Hseng Kiao headquarters three days ago, according to a central committee member who returned to the border yesterday.

No details of the closed door meeting, 8-14 March, were given except that it discussed in length the current political and military situation and resolved to strengthen its "democratic centralism", a leftover expression from the Cold War era meaning "centralized control".

The long-standing tense relationship with the local Burmese commander, particularly with Maj-Gen Myint Hlaing, Commander of the Lashio-based Northeastern Region Command, appeared to have relaxed.

"The regional commander had dispatch his representative last month to Hseng Kiao to inform us to let bygones be bygones," he said. "He placed the blame on subordinate commanders who had presumably caused misunderstandings by their faulty reports. From now on, we should constantly keep in touch, he was quoted as saying."

Coming from a Burmese commander, who has never been known as a tactful officer, it was reportedly quite incredible. "But at least it helped to keep the uneasy peace," commented an officer who was not at the meeting.

The SSA-North has been under pressure since its patron Maj-Gen Hso Ten was taken into custody on 9 February 2005. He was sentenced to 106 years imprisonment on charges of treason and association with outlawed organizations, among others.

Its closest ally the Shan State National Army (SSNA) had also been forced to return to the armed struggle since three of its units surrendered under duress in April and May 2005.

"At present, there are three factions in the SSA-North," said an officer close to the top. "The hawkish one appears to be the majority. The rest are the doves and the undecided."

He refused to say which leaders were in which faction.
"You don't need me to say who's where," he challenged S.H.A.N. "Maybe that's why the Burma Army has chosen to thread softly."