On December 14, the BBC Burmese Section conducted an interview with Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) General Secretary Gen. Tah Phone Kyaw on the recent political and military situations surrounding his organization, particularly the foreseeable talks with the junta brokered by China.

In his interview, a variety of issues were handled. Chief among them are the captured territories, how they are administered, if they will be incorporated into the TNLA envisioned Ta’ang or Palaung State, and if they are up for bargaining with the military junta.

However, the primary concern is the junta’s airstrikes and bombardment of the TNLA-captured territories. He admitted that together with what the junta has been doing and China’s sanctions, plus the junta’s blockage, the civilians have been suffering. Thus, a ceasefire is what he has been looking for.

Clearly, the TNLA has problems trying to run its administration in captured territories, although he portrayed it as quite successful and adequately represented by the local people. However, the ground reports indicated otherwise, which said only Ta’ang were employed as administrative leaders.

As an example of how successfully the TNLA was able to roll out its administrative apparatus, he compared Muse and Namkham. He said while Muse, controlled by the junta, together with the variety of militias, is a crime-infested city, Namkham under the TNLA is a peaceful city where the people can go about their businesses without crimes.

On the question of whether the TNLA-designated Ta’ang State will include all its captured territories, Tah Phone Kyaw wasn’t quite clear. He only said that in all ten big towns and small ones of captured territories, there are Ta’ang populations, although he didn’t mentioned the percentage. But he did mention some townships have Shan majority. However, it is everyone’s knowledge that the Shan are the majority in most of northern Shan State.

The TNLA also has the responsibility to administer and protect the captured territories, Tah Phone Kyaw said.

Regarding the realization of Ta’ang State, he at least said that there has to be discussion on its size and which areas should be included with concerned stakeholders at an appropriate time. But his tone is undoubtedly for the inclusion of all captured territories where the junta troops were being pushed out.

Concerning if the TNLA will agree to withdraw from the captured territories just like the Kokang or Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) has been pressured to give up Lashio City and North Eastern Military Command, Tah Phone Kyaw was quite against the demand, just the same as the MNDAA, even against the Chinese urging.

He said the capture of territories was successful due to the TNLA and allies of Bamar revolutionary groups’ hard work and sacrifices. And as such, it has to defend them with political and military alertness.

In this connection, he was asked why the Bamar Revolutionary groups and other allies are being asked to move out of northern Shan State; he skirted the question by saying that there was a lot of pressure from China on all ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) in northern Shan State. But wouldn’t give in that they were asked to leave by the TNLA.

In contrast, the MNDAA openly gave in to the Chinese pressure to cut its relationship with the National Unity Government (NUG) and its affiliation that China considered to be pro-West.

In sum, Tah Phone Kyaw’s motive is to have a ceasefire, where the junta won’t use airstrikes and artillery bombardment of its captured towns, so that the TNLA can establish its administrative machinery and solidify its grip in its controlled territories.

The second point is to let the power that be in Naypyitaw or any government that comes into being forced to accept its demand of the expanded Palaung Self-Administered Zone as Ta’ang or Palaung State.

Moreover, the six-fold or more expansion of the Ta’ang territories is to be forcefully taken over and legitimize, if possible, at the expense of the Shan majority and other ethnic groups, even though the Ta’ang are minorities in the land TNLA claimed to be theirs.

With such a political territorial expansionism attitude, which harbors on narrow and aggressive ethnonationalism, it is hard to imagine if Shan State will ever be at peace, even if the junta is defeated.