The Shan State Progress Party and its armed wing the Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA), held a meeting this week with several Northern Alliance members in the town of Pangsang, the capital and headquarters of the United Wa State Army (UWSA).
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Major Phone Han, spokesperson for the SSPP/SSA told Shan Herald that the purpose of the meeting between SSA and other organizations from Northern Alliance was to explore opportunities for enhancing their alliance coordination.
He emphasized that the meeting between the SSPP/SSA and the Northern Alliance-affiliated organizations in Pangsang was not conducted under the auspices of the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC).
“We can confirm that our delegation is currently in Pangsang. At this time we can also disclose that our allies are discussing how to enhance our mutual relations. This meeting was not initiated by FPNCC”, Major Phone Han said.
In response to a query by the Shan Herald regarding the participating armed organizations from the Northern Alliance in the discussions with the SSPP/SSA, Major Phone Han declined to disclose any information at the time.
“At this time, we are unable to disclose which organizations are involved in these discussions with us. Additionally, we remain uncertain about the attitudes of other potential allies. Once all talks have concluded, we will be in a better position to address this matter”, he explained.
Unverified reports suggest that all seven ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) affiliated with the Northern Alliance participated in the talks, but Shan Herald has been unable to independently corroborate this information.
The Northern Alliance is a coalition of seven EAOs in Myanmar, namely the United Wa State Army (UWSA), National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), Arakan Army (AA), Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), Kachin Independence Army (KIA), and the SSPP/SSA.
Political analysts in Shan State believe that the recent gathering of Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) in Pangsang may be preliminary negotiations before future meetings with China’s Special Representative.
Pangsang, where the Northern Alliance’s Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) convened, is under the control of the UWSA, which boasts a military force of over 30,000 troops.
