United Wa State Army

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United Wa State Army flag
Territories under the control of the United Wa State Army (2015)

The United Wa State Army (UWSA) is the armed arm of the United Wa State Party (UWSP), a political group that campaigns for the Wa ethnic minority in Shan State of Myanmar (Burma). The UWSA is considered to be one of the best armed and, with 20,000-30,000 soldiers, one of the most powerful autonomous militias in Myanmar. The UWSA is adhering to the ceasefire it has signed with the Burmese military government, the State Council for Peace and Development (SPDC). The UWSA is often associated with the manufacture of drugs. The UWSA is also known for its large-scale resettlement campaigns of mountain people in valleys. She is accused of serious human rights violations.

The headquarters of the UWSA is in Panghsang on the Sino-Burmese border on the Namkha River. The UWSA is financially supported and supplied with weapons by China. The President of the UWSA and the UWSP is Bao Youxiang . On April 17, 2009, the UWSA celebrated the twentieth anniversary since it was founded.

history

The UWSA and the UWSP emerged from a rebellion in the ranks of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) in 1988 , which recruited its lower ranks primarily from the Wa minority. After decades of heavy fighting, however, most of the Wa were tired of fighting the central government of Burma. The UWSA / UWSP were recognized as a political grouping by the Burmese government in 1989 . In a contract with Khin Nyunt it was agreed that the UWSA could keep their weapons. Their autonomy was also guaranteed in the so-called Special Region 2. The quasi-autonomous Wa state emerged from this region . Wa State covers an area in the northeast of Shan State on the border with China . Furthermore, the UWSA-South dominates areas on the border with Thailand in the south of Shan State. Division 171, which controls the area, was founded by Wa soldiers from KMT Kuomintang Division 525, who guarded the border during the Cold War on behalf of the Thai, and joined the UWSA in 1989.

The UWSA has been involved in heavy fighting with other rebel groups in Shan State in the past, including the Muang Tai Army (MTA) of the feared drug trafficker Khun Sa and the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S), a group who are still resisting the SPDC military regime.

UWSA and drugs

In the past, opium was grown on a massive scale in the areas controlled by the UWSA . However, the UWSA officially banned the cultivation of opium in its areas in 2005 . Since opium only thrives in mountainous locations, Wa residents were relocated to remote mountain regions in fertile valleys, often against the resistance of the affected residents. This resulted in massive human rights violations.

The UWSA was classified as a drug dealing organization by the US government on May 29, 2003. It was alleged that the UWSA was the largest drug-producing organization in Southeast Asia. Several senior members of the UWSA have been tried and convicted in the United States in the absence of drug smuggling. The American government has put a bounty of US $ 2 million on the leader of UWSA South, Wei Hsueh Kang , which operates in the border area with Thailand opposite the Thai province of Chiang Rai .

The Thai government accuses the UWSA of running methamphetamine laboratories in the Thai-Burmese border area .

Relationship to the state

The relationship between the UWSA and the State Council for Peace and Development (SPDC) can be described as tense. In the past, the SPDC tried to put pressure on the UWSA to surrender its weapons or to be integrated into the Burmese army. The SPDC also tried to increase its influence on the areas of the UWSA. Furthermore, the SPDC tried to force the UWSA to take military action against the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S). It cannot be ruled out that the UWSA will resume the armed struggle against the central government. The headquarters of the UWSA in Panghsang is currently being secured against air attacks with the help of Chinese specialists. (2006) The UWSA headquarters also has SA 7 anti-aircraft missiles of Chinese production.

Tensions with the central government

Since 2009, the government of Myanmar has been trying to force the armed groups that have made ceasefire agreements into their Border Guard Forces program, or BGF for short. The authority of these groups is to be transferred to the Myanmar military. Groups that join the Border Guard program are promised extensive autonomy in the new constitution. Groups that do not want to be integrated into the program should be banned after April 28, 2010. The military threatens armed crackdown on groups that refuse to join the military, and the military set an example by invading Special Region # 1 Kokang in 2009 . In August 2009, Kokang had armed clashes between Myanmar government troops and the MNDAA ceasefire army , as a result of which government troops took control of the area and up to 37,000 people fled the area across the border into China. "A new war between rebels and government troops is looming in the Wa region of Myanmar (Burma)." stated the German Foreign Ministry. A counter-proposal by the WA government, which could lead to a peaceful solution, was rejected by the Union government in early April. General Yawdserk of Shan State Army South , a rebel army that has not signed a ceasefire with the government, warned on April 27, 2010 that the BGF program could plunge Myanmar and the WA state into a new civil war. Cooperation between the UWSA and the SSA-S can no longer be ruled out.

Factions

There are two competing factions in the UWSA 171 military region.

The former Kuomintang faction led by Wei Xuegang. Wei Xuegang is the official leader of the 171 Military Region on the Thai border. The 772, 775 and 778 Brigades are subordinate to him.

The faction of the former CPB, the Burmese Communist Party , led by Va leader Bao Youxiang. The faction reports to the 248 Brigade in Hoyawd and the 518 Brigade in Mongyawn.

It is entirely possible that Wei Xuegang could split off from the UWSA. Wei Xuegang is willing to cooperate more closely with the military like Bao Youxiang and is more willing to take military action against Shan State Army South, while Bao Youxiang is cooperating more closely with China. There are also differences when it comes to dealing with drugs. Bao Youxiang is sticking to a stop on opium cultivation because he sees it as the only chance to cooperate with China.

In any case, the government is holding separate talks with both groups. A senior VA politician told SHAN Herald News Agency, “He [Wei Xuegang] thinks in terms of money. And we are aware that the Burma Army is trying to win him over. But I don't think he will leave us. However, in case he does, the damage will be minimal. " "He [Wei Xuegang] only thinks of money. We know that the Burmese army wants to convince him to defeat. I do not think he will be defected. If he were defected, however, the damage would not be great."

Risk of confusion

The UWSA should not be confused with the Wa National Organization (WNO) and the Wa National Army (WNA). These groups have not signed a ceasefire with the Myanmar military government and are headquartered in the border area of ​​the Thai province of Mae Hong Son . See also Maha Sang .

See also

Web links

literature

  • Kai Chen: Comparative Study of Child Soldiering on Myanmar-China Border: Evolutions, Challenges and Countermeasures. Springer, Singapore 2014.
  • Tom Kramer: The United Wa State Party. Narco-army or ethnic nationalist party? East-West Center, Washington 2007.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/413/on-myanmar-china-border-tensions-escalate-between-spdc-narco-militias
  2. ↑ The meeting was invited by Bao Youxiang, President of the "Special Region No.2 Government" [1]
  3. ↑ Founding of Wa army to be celebrated Archived copy ( Memento of June 14, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ^ Division 171, formerly Division 525, was formed out of former Wa fighters in the Kuomingtang forces and became part of the UWSA in 1989 [2]
  5. ↑ Additionally, the recent arms delivery included 14.5 mm ZPU heavy machine guns, a new weapons system in the UWSA's arsenal that is effective against low altitude aerial assault Archived copy ( Memento of the original from July 17, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www-gatago.com
  6. ↑ In addition, in 2001, the UWSA acquired an unspecified number of HN-5N surface-to-air missiles (the Chinese version of the Russian-made SA-7) Archived copy ( Memento of the original from July 17, 2012 in the web archive archive .today ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www-gatago.com
  7. ↑ BGF deadline for armed groups extended again Archived copy ( Memento from April 5, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  8. ↑ Myanmar - Domestic Policy. Ethnic minorities and the insurgent problem. Federal Foreign Office, accessed March 30, 2011 .
  9. ↑ Myanmar: War with rebels in Wa state threatens [3]
  10. ↑ Naypyitaw turns down Wa's latest proposal Archived copy ( Memento of February 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  11. ↑ Shan rebel leader warns Burma Army Archived copy ( Memento from February 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  12. ↑ China sees to it Wa keeps the lid on opium production Archived copy ( Memento from June 9, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  13. ↑ Two offers for two Wa factions Archived copy ( Memento from June 14, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  14. ↑ Wa official: No answers to junta's questions until ours are answered Archived copy ( Memento from June 9, 2010 in the Internet Archive )