Irrawaddy-July 21
The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) has become the first ethnic resistance group to join the military-led regime’s 100-day peace plan. The TNLA—a member of the Brotherhood Alliance that spearheaded the resistance offensive known as Operation 1027—sat down for talks with the regime’s National Solidarity and Peace Negotiation Committee (NSPNC) in Naypyitaw on Sunday. The meeting came after China reportedly pressured ethnic armies on its border in Shan State and Kachin State to submit to the 100-day ultimatum. According to the regime, the two sides discussed President Min Aung Hlaing’s 100-day plan, adherence to China-brokered ceasefire deals, resolving disputes through political means, and continued cooperation for peace. Leaked minutes of the meeting circulating Tuesday reveal the TNLA called for the establishment of a self-administrated Ta’ang State. The ethnic army also pledged to engage actively in the peace process alongside its allies if the regime recognizes its role in driving development for the Ta’ang people. In response, the regime stated that a Palaung Self-Administered Zone already exists and that the power to grant to full statehood lies with the Union Parliament.
Operation 1027, launched in October 2023 by the TNLA and its two Brotherhood Alliance partners—the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Arakan Army (AA)—saw the TNLA seize nearly a dozen townships across northern Shan State and Mandalay Region with help from the National Unity Government’s People’s Defense Force (PDF) and local resistance groups. In return, the ethnic army supported the PDF in taking control of territory in northern Mandalay Region. The gains marked the TNLA’s most significant battlefield victories in a decade-long struggle for autonomy by its political wing, the Palaung State Liberation Front. Read more at:
