Arakha Times (12 December 2024)
The Pa-O National Liberation Front (PNLO/PNLA) and the Pa-O National Federal Council (PNFC) have urged the Pa-O militia (PNO/PNA) to join the ongoing popular revolution as a transformed Pa-O militia.
In a joint statement issued on the 75th anniversary of the Pa-O Revolution Day, which falls on December 11, the two organisations called on the PNO/PNA to rejoin the popular revolution, in line with the principles of the Lone Da Conference, the fight against military dictatorship and imperialism, and the establishment of a federal democratic union.
Colonel Khun Aung Mann, General Secretary of the Pa-O National Liberation Organisation (PNLO), emphasised that the Pa-O ethnic groups and the revolutionary forces are not enemies and there is no conflict among the Pa-O people.
“Currently, we have no communication with each other. It is simply a statement urging us to act. The current situation is that the military council is using the transformed militia because it needs strength. It has granted them authority and provided them with weapons. However, this transformed militia has not asked the Pa-O people between the ages of 18 and 45 to join the army but rather has recruited every male in the areas it controls. There are cases where people are being forced into military training. These actions are carried out under the guise of regional defence, using the patriotic spirit of the Pa-O people for propaganda and coercion. That is why we urge that there be no conflict between the Pa-O people and the revolutionary forces, that the Pa-O people do not become enemies of the revolution, and that there be no conflict among the Pa-O people themselves,” he said.
The statement also emphasised the importance of unity, urging that there should be no conflict among the Pa-O people based on the unity symbolised by raising the Pa-O national unity flag to the highest level.
There have been clashes between the PNO/PNA, the joint forces of the military council, and the PNLO and PNFC revolutionary forces.
Colonel Khun Aung Mann added that although the Pa-O organisations participating in the revolution have different names, they are united and working together.
“The PNO-transformed militia is aligned with the military council. Colonel Khun Ukka has been expelled from our group. These individuals are living as a group, but they are not a formal organization. In any case, the presence of such groups can impact unity. However, if you look closely, you’ll see that this situation exists on both sides. Our Pa-O groups that are part of the revolutionary forces, although they have different names, all carry out their activities in unity,” he explained.
Currently, the Pa-O armed groups, the Pa-O National Liberation Front (PNLO/PNLA) and the Pa-O National Federal Council (PNFC), are fighting the military council in collaboration with the broader revolutionary forces.
