United Wa State Army (UWSA) didn’t hold military parade just to provoke the army and they will not launch an attack first in Wa area, said Nyi Rang, its spokesperson and supervisor of liaison office in Lashio.

He said after a comment from Major General Soe Naing Oo, the Chairman of the Tatmadaw True News Information Team, at a press conference held in Nay Pyi Taw on June 2 that the Tatmadaw is extremely patient even though the military parade of the “Wa” amounts to building a parallel government and a parallel “Tatmadaw”.

“The UWSA is always regarded all armed groups including the army as our friends. We have no intention to hold the military parade at the 30th anniversary of ceasefire agreement with the union government to provoke them,” he said.

He added the UWSA was held the 10th and 20th anniversaries previously and the military parade is not held by them alone. It is not strange. We are not doing military parade to make provocation.

Major General Soe Naing Oo referred the UWSA’s military parade as the UWSA held a celebration to mark the 30th anniversary of ceasefire agreement with the union government at its headquarters, Panghsang in mid May with modernized armed forces.

The UWSA is one of the ethnic armed groups which haven’t signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA).