According to reports, approximately 300 troops of the United Wa State Army (UWSA) have recently entered the Mong Yaw region of Lashio District, located in Shan State.
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Locals told the SHAN that a UWSA column of nearly 300 troops entered the Mong Yaw region of Lashio District on the west side of the Salween River from the east of the Salween River this week.
“Wa troops crossed Naunghlan, Naungphar in Tangyan Township from the east of the Salween River, and now they are coming towards Mong Yaw. Before the Wa came to Naunghlan, Naungphar, some MNDAA troops were also seen retreating towards Mong Yaw,” an anonymous person told Shan Herald.
In addition, there are reports that the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), both of which are active in Tangyan Township and the Mong Yaw region, have been forced to retreat as a result of the arrival of the UWSA troops.
U Nyi Rang, who serves as the UWSA’s Liaison Officer in Lashio, has reportedly stated to the SHAN that the details of the incident are not yet known.
“I am not aware of this matter yet. I will have to ask higher-ups to obtain the headquarters’ opinion on this matter,” U Nyi Rang stated to the SHAN.
According to residents in the area, Troop No. 611 of the MNDAA and some of the TNLA troops operating in the Mong Yaw region have reportedly retreated. However, it is said that the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) and some Northern Alliance forces are still present in the region.
Since the end of the Burma Communist Party (BCP) era, the UWSA troops have only operated on the eastern side of the Salween River and in the Mong Ton and Mong Hsat regions along the Myanmar-Thai border.
According to U Ye Tun (Hsipaw), an analyst of Shan State politics, the UWSA’s recent arrival on the west side of the Salween River may not necessarily indicate an expansion of their area of control. It is possible that there could be an agreement in place between the UWSA and other allied forces in the region.
“I don’t think this is territorial expansion. The reason is that the western part of the Salween River was not included in their request for a state. I think they will have an agreement between the allied forces,” U Ye Tun told the SHAN.
The UWSA also maintains a liaison office in Lashio Township, which is located approximately 32 miles away from the Mong Yaw region where their troops have reportedly entered.
The UWSA is also a member of the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC), a coalition of seven ethnic armed organizations.
The seven ethnic armed organizations that make up the FPNCC are the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Arakan Army (AA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) Mong La, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) Kokang, and the United Wa State Army (UWSA).
