Press Release on Successful Celebration of Ta-ang National Resistance Golden Jubilee

Palaung State Liberation Front, January 18, 2013

The celebration of Ta-ang National Resistance Golden Jubilee, which falls on 12th January 2013, was successfully held at a Ta-ang liberated area.

Colonel Tar Aik Phone, Chairperson of Palaung State Liberation Front gave a speech after receiving honor salute by four columns, about 240 army personnel, of the Ta-ang National Liberation Army.

Colonel Tar Aik Phone, Chairperson of PSLF/TNLA, said:

The day of 12^th January, 1963 was the day the Palung National Force or PNF was formed, so that we celebrated and honored annually on this day as Ta-ang (Palaung) National Resistance Day until this Golden Jubilee celebration.

And also we all are celebrating on this day here to honor our late martyrs who gave their lives along the revolutionary paths and we have to march forward to be achieved. We all are still on the way of movements of struggling to gain freedom although we reach 50 year-milestone. Holding great care on all sides of political and military movements, we must march until we meet our goals.

On this day of honor, I, hereby, would hearty like to promise all of you that I, altogether with the Palaung people, ethnic and democratic forces, will try until to gain our goal on establishing genuine Federal State that guaranteed on national equity and self autonomy.

I strongly believe that without having cooperation, unity, and collaboration among our Ta-ang people, we could not gain political goals in full scale. I would like to warn you all that under the divide-and-rule system of the military junta, we should seriously take care of lack of cooperation among our Ta-ang-Palaung organizations.

Our long-run civil war is fuelled by the one-sided operations of interest by the military junta dictatorship. Without forming equal political dialogue with ethnic groups, it took sham dialogues and cease-fire agreements to get the international recognition and acknowledgement. They are committing offensive battles in the ethnic regions to hold racial discrimination and dictatorship strictly in the long-term. There are still fierce battles in the Kachin and Ta-ang (Palaung) regions. The strong attacks on ground and both from air clearly show their unwillingness to gain internal genuine peace and recognition on ethnical matters.

I would like to request the people that you really have national responsibility in our national cause of freedom and development – showing strong participation from all sides and from anywhere. And need strong supporting for Ta-ang national movement of freedom by all means.

And also, Major Zaw Lun, commander of battalion 8 of KIO/KIA brigade 4 said –

I am so surprise and take pride on the dramatic growing up in military of Ta-ang troops in a very short time. And I hope and wish to get such development in the future. The KIO/KIA will join hands with PSLF/TNLA troops to gain national equity and self determination.

An abbot monk who participated in said –

The Ta-ang people told that they are afraid of to die if they join in the national struggle, but they are not afraid of to die if they use narcotic drugs. It is nonsense of dying by drugs. Instead of this, dying in the battles of freedom is noble. Therefore, the Ta-ang young ones should not be afraid of serving for national cause.

In the ceremony, 55,000 yaba tablets that were seized by the Ta-ang troops were burnt down by the leaders of PSLF/TNLA and people representatives. And also the outstanding soldiers of TNLA were honored and prizes were given away.

A people representative from Nam Sam township said –

I am so glad and warmly welcome to the re-entering of TNLA into the track of national freedom movement. The Ta-ang army and the Ta-ang people are resembled to water and fish – the river without fish will be worthless. It means that the army cannot stand by itself if there is lack of peoples’ supporting, and the people will be under the insecure situation without the army. I, the Ta-ang people, have a clear picture that the army is in needs by the current time of insecure and threatens of narcotic drug smuggling and consuming.

A lady representative of Nam Sam township encouraged –

I am so glad of meeting Ta-ang patriotic army again. We need unity in our Ta-ang races. The Ta-ang races, without considering on the different areas, are requested to support PSLF/TNLA guidelines on movements until reaching the point of Ta-ang political targets.

Tar Phone Kyaw, General-secretary of PSLF/TNLA, reported back and explained to the people on military, political, and organizing movements. According to the report, about 100 soldiers from military junta were dead and over 150 soldiers were injured in over 50 battles.

Tar Hoplang, the commander of PSLF/TNLA, gave a close speech and gave thanks to all participants to the ceremony. The Golden Jubilee Celebration was successfully concluded.

After the ceremony, the performances of cultural organizations from regional settlers, Ta-ang Youths and performers, together with Shan and Kachin cultural groups were presented as an honor.

There was some hindrance from IB 130 and LIB 504 on the people not to attend the ceremony.

Under the tense situation, people from social institutions and cultural groups, together with armed forces, actively participated in the Ta-ang Golden Jubilee Ceremony. This press release is publicized on the successful conclusion of the ceremony.