Wa armed group declares neutrality, rules out attack on Kengtung

The ethnic armed organisation United Wa State Army (UWSA) responded to widely circulating rumours in a statement on Tuesday, denying any intent to advance on or seize the town of Kengtung, eastern Shan State. Kengtung holds strategic significance as the headquarters of the Triangle Command—one of the army’s 14 region military commands throughout the country—and its location on routes needed for both the China-Myanmar and Thailand-Myanmar border trade. The UWSA—which stands out among Myanmar’s ethnic armed groups for its manpower and access to modern weaponry—joined the ethnic armed groups of the Brotherhood Alliance in completing the takeover of the town of Hopang, northern Shan State earlier this month. The Brotherhood Alliance—which has been carrying out an offensive against the Myanmar army in northern Shan State since October—subsequently recognised the UWSA's claims to Hopang and Pan Lon, another town in Hopang Township, and handed them over to the control of the UWSA. The UWSA is not a member of the Brotherhood Alliance, which is made up of three groups: the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, and the Arakan Army. The handover of the towns fuelled speculation about a potential assault by the Wa forces in a push to occupy Kengtung, which is located in an area historically controlled by the Wa people according to some traditional accounts. In a statement released in Chinese on Tuesday, the UWSA refuted these predictions, affirming that the Wa people’s stance on the ongoing conflict and violence in Myanmar remains neutral. The statement added that the UWSA remained committed to providing humanitarian aid to displaced persons in northern Shan State, and that the Wa people hoped the Myanmar army and Brotherhood Alliance would abide by the terms of a temporary ceasefire to which they had agreed the previous week. UWSA spokesperson Nyi Rang confirmed to Myanmar Now that any information spreading about planned attacks on Kengtung is simply based in false rumour. “I think that it signifies the organisation's neutrality in the ongoing conflict in northern Shan State and serves as a reaffirmation of its commitment to refrain from direct involvement in the clashes,” said Than Soe Naing, a political analyst who spoke with Myanmar Now. The towns of Hopang and Pan Lon, previously under the control of the military junta, were towns within the Wa Self-Administered Division established by the military-drafted 2008 constitution. The military council maintained control of the towns until January 5 of this year. On the morning of January 5, following the surrender of junta troops in Hopang to the forces of the MNDAA, the UWSA troops entered the town and assumed control. On January 10 and 11, Wa leaders conducted visits to Hopang and Pan Lon, successfully concluding the handover operations, according to broadcast media run by the UWSA and its political wing. Hopang is situated about nine miles west of the China-Myanmar border town of Chin Shwe Haw, which is currently under the control of the MNDAA. Pan Lon is located some 20 miles southeast of Hopang. Military research groups have estimated that the UWSA maintains a permanent force of around 30,000 soldiers equipped with modern arms. Although there have been no direct clashes between junta forces and the UWSA, the three ethnic armed groups engaged in the anti-junta Operation 1027 are considered allies of the UWSA.

Wa armed group declares neutrality, rules out attack on Kengtung

The Brotherhood Alliance handed over full control of two towns captured during Operation 1027 to the United Wa State Army this month, fuelling speculation that the group might try to enforce a historical claim to Kengtung

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