Headquarter of No.5 Brigade of Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) sent a complaint letter to Joint Monitoring Committee – JMC-s (Kayin) about the drones sent by the army in the area, where it is based, on January 21 and they are suspicious about it, said Maj. Saw Kale Doe, spokesperson of the No.5 Brigade.

The army sent drones once a week or two to keep surveillance on the KNLA bases since 2018, it said.

“We assumed it was done by the battalions under Southeast Command. We didn’t see the drones in the first month of 2020 but once or twice in December last year,” he said.

The letter said the KNLA secretly followed the drones and they landed in the nearest army bases.

It also added it can not only threaten the public safety and security of KNU but also destroy mutual trust.

It is violating nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) and the KNLA strongly objected to it.

The complaint letter was sent to the chairman and vice chairman of JMC-s in Hpa-an and copies were sent to headquarters of KNLA Adjutant General, General Secretary of the KNU, Office of the Chief of Staff of the KNLA and KNU Defence Department.

Col. Maung Maung Latt, spokesperson of Southeast Command said on January 22 that the army hadn't known about the complaint letter.