No.04 - 02/2006
6 February 2006

War

Commander: I wasn't trained to surrender

In an attempt to dispel doubts about his intent, a Shan commander whose group has been under an ongoing search-and-destroy campaign by the Burma Army has vowed today he will never surrender.

"I was trained to fight, not to surrender," said Col Moengzuen, military leader of the 758th Region (renamed Shan State Army-Central) who had since last April allied himself to a group of Shan dissidents that had formed the 'Interim Shan Government' (ISG), to the dismay of his former colleagues from the Shan State Army-South. Lt-Col Moengzuen

Since 10 January, the Burma Army's Arakan-based Military Operations Command #5, commanded by Brig Gen Myint Soe, has been combing the hills and forests in his operational area inside the Four Corners roadway (Loilem-Mongkerng-Kehsi-Namzang) in southern Shan State. So far, no major engagements have been reported, a fact that has raised questions as to whether or not Moengzuen is planning to surrender.

"We have avoided head-on confrontations, because the whole of Burma is quiet (except for Karen-Karenni area and along the Indian-Burma border)," he explained. "The time has yet to come for an all-out war against the enemy."

While confirming that he has received offers from the Burma Army "to exchange arms for peace," he swears the word 'surrender' is not in his vocabulary. "My reply to them was that they approach the 'Shan Government' to resolve the matter."

The Burma Army campaign has reportedly driven hundreds of people from the area to Thailand, according to relief workers in Fang, opposite Eastern Shan State's Mongton township.

Despite his switch of allegiance to the ISG, the SSA-South has yet to expel him from the group. "He said he was doing what's best for the country," Col Yawdserk, Moengzuen's former boss, says. "And I'm giving him a chance to prove it. However, our stance may change if he has reached some sort of agreement with the Burma Army."

The SSA-South suffered a major psychological blow when one of its brigade commanders, Khun Kyaw, surrendered on 2 January.

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