SSPP/SSA condemns TNLA overreach, warns against escalation to military action

Published 2 June 2024

EMG

The Shan State Progressive Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) issued a statement on May 31, condemning any actions of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) that go beyond the bounds of action as it invites unwanted military solutions.

Currently, there is tension between the TNLA and the SSPP/SSA due to the territorial dispute between the two groups, according to the statement of the SSPP/SSA.

Regarding the issue of the territorial dispute, the statement said that on April 21, 2024 representatives of the central level of the two groups met and discussed.

The SSPP/SSA has released the results of these discussions for its forces to follow, but it is clear from the current events and the statements made by the spokesperson of SSPP/SSA to the media that TNLA has no desire to live peacefully together, it said.

The SSPP/SSA issued a statement condemning any act that goes beyond tolerance on the basis of racial discrimination as inviting unwanted military solutions and it is only the unethical need for political advantage.

The statement also states that all people know that they have worked hard for many years for the establishment of a true federal democratic system that guarantees equality and the right to create one's own destiny.

In marching towards the goal, the public interest should be the first, and the principle of peaceful coexistence between the alliances should be upheld, and the statements and order announcements were issued continuously to enforce from the central level down to the lower bases, the statement said.

The SSPP/SSA also announced that at a time of rapid political and military change, it has not changed its political position and is holding the political problem to be resolved through political means as the first priority method.

Due to the actions of some of its allies, it has not only led to the public's misunderstanding on the SSPP/SSA, but also that it has been witnessing the continuous occurrence of events that damage political dignity and the principle of peaceful coexistence, it said.