NAYPYIDAW — Defense Minister Lt-Gen Sein Win proposed on Friday to the Lower House that the Parliament should consider a labeling of the northern ethnic alliance that launched offensives in Shan State as a coalition of “terrorist organizations.”
The Northern Alliance includes the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and Arakan Army (AA). They launched a joint offensive against the Burma Army in Shan State in November, displacing around 5,000 people.
Lt-Gen Sein Win said that these groups should be considered terrorist organizations as they had incurred the deaths and injuries of civilians, opened fire on non-military infrastructure and vehicles as well as damaged public property.
“I also assume that the Parliament should urge NGOs and INGOs to stop providing aid to the KIA, MNDAA, TNLA and AA in the name of humanity because those groups committed violence,” said Lt-Gen Sein Win.
Military representative Col Than Aung said that tough actions should be taken against the main perpetrators including United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) chairman N’Ban La, KIA leader Gam Shawng, TNLA leader Tar Aik Bong, MNDAA leaders Peng Jiasheng and U Peng Daxun and the AA’s commander Tun Myat Naing, in line with existing statutes, including an anti-terrorism law.
“I would like to urge the Parliament to consider the KIA, TNLA, MNDAA and AA as insurgent organizations. At the same time, we should ban and stop international organizations from supplying relief and providing medical treatment on humanitarian grounds,” said Col Than Aung said.
On Friday, twelve lawmakers also debated an urgent proposal by Dr. Maung Thin of Meiktila Constituency which said that the Parliament was also concerned that deliberate shooting, use of mines and explosives by the Northern Alliance had caused death, injuries and displacement of civilians and affected national sovereignty, rule of law, stability and the country’s peace process.
