
Colonel Khun Okkar, the long-time patron of the Pa-O National Liberation Organisation (PNLO), said he has left the group and will instead work with the pro-junta Pa-O National Organisation (PNO).
The move, announced earlier this month at a meeting of PNLO leaders, comes after the group’s armed wing, the Pa-O National Liberation Army (PNLA), resumed fighting Myanmar’s military in January, nearly nine years after signing the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).
Speaking to Myanmar Now, he said he made the decision to leave the PNLO to prioritise the development of the Pa-O Self-Administered Zone (SAZ), which consists of three townships—Hopong, Hsihseng, and Pinlaung—in southern Shan State.
“It’s about politics and development. The NCA stipulates that civilians must be protected, so how can we protect the security of our Pa-O people? How will we rebuild what has been destroyed. . .