Members of the Brotherhood Alliance – the Arakan Army (AA) and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) have announced in a joint statement that they will work together until the entire Kokang region is returned to the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA).
The two alliance members said in a congratulatory message to the 34th Armed Forces Day of the MNDAA that they will continue to fight in the sprint of the brotherhood to achieve common military and political goals.
The MNDAA was founded by Kokang leader Pheung Kya-shin on 11 March 1989. The Kokang region was granted the status of Special Region-1 and achieved stability and development like the UWSP/UWSA and the NDAA for more than 20 years. However, after they refused to transform into a border guard force on 8 March 2009, the Myanmar military began to attack them and forced them to leave Special Region-1.
“It’s been 14 years since the MNDAA temporarily left the Special Region-1 just because they do not want to harm their own people,” the joint statement said.
AA and TNLA said that under the leadership of Myanmar National Truth and Justice Party (MNTJP)’s chairman Phon Tar Shwin, they are jointly fighting to reclaim the Kokang region for the MNDAA.
In addition, the MNDAA is working harmoniously with anti-dictatorship forces and other trusted groups that emerged from the Spring Revolution for common goals, the message said.
The message to the MNDAA also states that the MNDAA is an armed organization fighting for peace, national equality, self-determination, the liberation of all ethnic peoples from the oppression of military dictatorship and the creation of a genuine democratic federal union.
The Bamar People’s Liberation Army (BPLA), formed after the military coup, also sent a congratulatory message thanking the MNDAA for its moral and revolutionary support.
The Three Brothers Alliance is composed of the Arakan Army (AA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). They are non-signatories to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) and members of the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC).
Sent by DMG.