Statement of Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF) for Reduction-Cessation of Battles between Two Sides in Ta’ang Region

Statement # (3/2015) / February 23, 2015

1. As a result of increasing the number of armed forces and military offensives by the Myanmar government’s Tatmadaw in the Ta’ang nationality’s land, comprising of Namtsan, Mantong, Kyaukme, Thibaw, Namtu, Lashio, Mogok, Momeik, Theinni, Kutkai, Museh, Namkham Townships etc. and Ta’ang villages in Kokang Region – there has been increasing frequency of battles, day by day, between the Tatmadaw forces and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) forces and forces of the ethnic armed resistance alliance.

2. Due to the increasing ferocity of battles taking place in the first week of February in Mogok-Momeik area, Myanmar Tatmadaw called in air strikes, attacking for 2 days the units under TNLA Brigade-2, which were engaged in destroying opium (poppy) fields. In the battles taking place in Kokang area, since the second week of February, Myanmar Tatmadaw has been using war planes, tanks and armored cars, in its offensives against our ethnic (indigenous) armed resistance forces.

3. The local populations have to become war refugees, as a result of the increasing ferocity of the clashes. Moreover, the war refugees and the truck convoys of organizations, entrusted by the government to help the refugees, came under sniper fire. The Myanmar government, by trickeries, is winning the sympathy and compassion of the people of Burma by organizing the sniping attacks and blaming the sniping attacks on the ethnic armed resistance forces.

4. Our own ethnic armed resistance organizations are active in their own areas and, while endeavoring to achieve the legitimate rights of the ethnic nationalities, they are in the struggle to protect their own populations. On February 21, 2015, at the press conference of Myanmar Tatmadaw, the accusation that the attack was acts of aggression by external forces was totally false, as it was only battles in the civil war.

5. Just as the Myanmar Tatmadaw has brought more troops into the Kachin, Kokang, Ta’ang and Shan etc. lands and relentlessly stepped up military offensives, our ethnic forces will mutually support and resolutely defend against the danger of Myanmar forces, which have come into our lands to tyrannize and dominate.

6. In addition of being a member organization of the alliance, the UNFC, our PSL/TNLA has been actively participating in the ethnic consultation body, the NCCT, and striving for the achievement of Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). Our PSLF/TNLA has called upon the Union President and government several times, for negotiation to resolve and reduce armed clashes between the two sides. However, after the meeting at Museh in July 2013, there has been no meeting between the two sides.

7. For that reason, our PSLF/TNLA seriously urge and call upon Myanmar government and Tatmadaw as follows, for ending the civil war that has been going for more than half a century in Myanmar country, cohabited by the indigenous nationalities, including the Burman nationality.

(a) To negotiate by the two sides for the reduction of clashes and ceasefire;
(b) To immediately halt military offensives in our Ta’ang Region;
(c) To protect the innocent civilians in times of battles.

 

Central Executive Committee

Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF)
Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA)

 

Contact: News and Information Department PSLF/TNLA
(95) 09 4931 4951
(86) 157 5894 5170

 

Download statement as PDF in English | Burmese

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