Mon Reject Militia Plan

By LAWI WENG

The Mon cease-fire group, the New Mon State Party (NMSP), announced at a press conference on Friday evening that the party has rejected both the junta's border guard force (BGF) and militia proposals.

Speaking at a conference in Sangkhalaburi in western Thailand, Nai Chay Mon, the spokesman of the NMSP, told delegates: “We sent a letter to Regional Southeast Command on April 22 stating that we will not accept the militia offer. This is a difficult time to transform our troops, because our people do not yet have any rights.


“If the Burmese army uses force, we will have to defend ourselves,” he said.

“We will maintain the cease-fire and we will be open to discussions about transforming our troops at some time in the future when there is a democratic government, elected by the people,” he said.


The NMSP central executive committee and the central committee held a meeting on Wednesday at their jungle headquarters when the leaders made a decision to move their troops out of urban areas into the jungle, according to a source.

Lt-Gen Ye Myint, the junta's chief negotiator, reportedly told NMSP leaders at a meeting on April 7: “If you don't accept the militia plan [an order to station Mon soldiers as security guards in Mon villages], war will break out like it did in 1989.”

The NMSP leaders have reportedly ordered their troops not to shoot first; however, if Burmese government forces open fire on them, they should return fire.

Nai Hang Thar, the secretary of the NMSP, said, “Our revolution will never weaken. We will wage guerrilla warfare against the Burmese army if conflict breaks out.

“If there is no democracy and ethnic rights in Burma, they cannot be another political step. These are the root causes of the conflict in Burma.”

Several observers have said that the Burmese government forces can easily contain the Mon troops in combat, as the Mon have only 700 regular troops while the Burmese army can call on up to 400,000 soldiers.

Nai Kao Rot, the former deputy of the Mon National Liberation Army, said, “I advise the NMSP not to fight a defensive war. Don't set up bases. If they (government forces) come to our area, let them. We will attack them outside the towns at their own bases.”

He added: “Our revolution will never end while Mon people live and breathe. Even is the NMSP fails to win this conflict, the Mon people will rise again.”

Many analysts say the Mon soldiers are not sufficiently battle-hardened as they have not fought since the cease-fire 15 years ago.

Officially, the NMSP has 3,500 members, though perhaps only 700 currently serve as soldiers. The party leaders said they hope that many of their members will come back and join them if war breaks out.

Although hundreds of Mon officials and soldiers are preparing to leave their homes to retreat to jungle base camps, observers have predicted that many NMSP members will not abandon their property and livelihoods. However, they expect Mon refugees and many Mon living in Thailand will join up to support the ethnic army in the event of war.

The junta has set a deadline of April 28 for the cease-fire groups to accept the BGF plan, or be declared illegal organizations.
Tension has increased between the NMSP and the Burmese military since the Mon rejected the regime's order to transform its army into a BGF last year.

In March, the NMSP moved some of its administration and a stockpile of weapons to a new undisclosed base, a source close to the group said.

The NMSP signed a cease-fire agreement with the regime in 1995. After 15 years of cease-fire, government forces have about 30 battalions in Mon State. Before the cease-fire, there were about 10 battalions.

The Burmese regime recently deployed three battalions near the NMSP headquarters in Ye Township.