More than 10,000 freshly-trained fighters from an ethnic army are on their way to replenish Myanmar’s depleted junta forces.
On Wednesday, the pro-junta Pa-O National Army, or PNA, completed a military training program for the new recruits in southern Shan state.
The graduation ceremony, held in Naungtayar town, within the Pa-O Self-Administered Zone, was attended by the militia’s chief of staff, military regional commanders and officials from the Pa-O National Organization party.
The training was primarily aimed at supporting the military junta, which has suffered numerous battlefield setbacks in Shan state in recent months, according to a political analyst who requested anonymity for security reasons.
“The primary objective is to demonstrate strength and power,” the analyst told Radio Free Asia. “This display suggests that they will likely participate in conflicts in the border region, seemingly acting as a proxy for the military council.”
Founded in 1976, the Pa-O National Army, or PNA, signed a ceasefire agreement in 1991 with a previous military junta, the State Peace and Development Council.
It later transformed into a state-backed people’s militia force and merged with other Pa-O paramilitary groups in 2009. The following year, the area under its control was officially designated as the Pa’O Self-Administered Zone, or Special Region 6.
The Pa-O people, the second largest ethnic group in Shan state, are split between pro- and anti-junta factions.
Earlier this year, a different militia – the Pa-O National Liberation Army, or PNLA – fought several battles against junta troops in southern Shan State and the PNA conducted counterattacks on behalf of the junta during this fighting.
The newly trained 10,000 troops are intended to protect the military junta, PNLA spokesperson Khun Rain Yan told RFA.
RFA attempted to contact Major Than Kywe, the spokesperson of the Pa-O National Organization, to inquire about the new trainees but received no response.
Translated by Kalyar Lwin. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.
