The decision to implement a federal army was reached during a meeting held on the Thai-Burmese border from 27–30 November.

From the meeting, the committee members of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) appointed Maj Gen Bee Htoo, Commander-in-Chief of Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), to carry out the plan of the federal army while Gen Mutu Saypoe, who was appointed in August as the commander of the federal army, resigned due to his heavy workload at his Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU).

MNLA troops celebrate the 63rd anniversary of Mon National Day in Palanjapan village near Three Pagodas Pass (Photo:Azan)

 The committee members of UNFC has written a draft of the plan how to implement the federal army, but still need to talk more with the military leaders from major six ethnic armed groups its members of UNFC while only politicians who are leaders from the ethnic armed groups have agreed to implement the dream of a federal army in the mean time according a source who participated at the meeting.

The politicians need to pass the order to the military leaders are from six major ethnic armed groups, including the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), KNU, KNPP, Chin National Front (CNF), New Mon State Party (NMSP), and the Shan State Progress Party.

The opinions and differences of the military leaders from the six major ethnic armed groups will hold a meeting in the middle of this month to discuss further about how to carry out the plan of forming a federal army.

Nai Kao Rot, the former deputy army chief of Mon National Liberation Army, the armed wing of NMSP, said, “I am very interested in this issue. I think it will not be difficult to implement the plan if they (ethnic armed groups) are eager to do it.  

“They need a base for the federal army, and then they need to find out how to use one command under the control of the deferral army,” he said.

To implement the plan of the federal army, the NMSP leaders believed that that it might take more time as there are diversities among the ethnic groups, leading to difficulties in initiating such a plan, such as making decisions on language, whether to have only one command at the army, and the jargon to use with the army.

A NMSP leader, who asked not to be named, said that the federal army could take the lead like the Arab Spring in Libya to Burma if there is no political change in Burma even though the international community push the Burmese government to have political change.

Ethnic leaders have been encouraged by the fact that foreign countries offered help to the rebel army in Libya. They believe this federal army could lead armed struggle in order to help peaceful civilian demonstrators in the future.

Members of the UNFC committee also analyzed the progress of recent peace talks between its individual groups and the Burmese government at the meeting.

KNU and NMSP leaders continue to doubt the sincerity of the government in the peace talks, according to a source who attended the meeting. These two groups will take more time to sign a peace agreement, while CNF leaders have the will to sign a ceasefire with the Burmese government.

The UNFC was formed in February at a meeting in northern Thailand attended by a dozen ethnic groups. These included the KIO, KNU, KNPP, Chin National Front, NMSP, Shan State Progress Party, Pa-O National Liberation Organization, Palaung State Liberation Front, Arakan National Council, Lahu Democratic Union, Wa National Organization, and Kachin National Organization.

 

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