[Tee tiong huat]

The leader of the ethnic Ta’ang National Liberation Army on Tuesday denounced interference in Myanmar by Chinese govt looks only to its own self-interest. TNLA General Secretary Major General Tar Phone Kyaw in Facebook post lamented recent Chinese pressure on ethnic armies to lay down arms or  even cede territory to Myanmar junta, saying Chinese “dominance” is one of the major challenges for Myanmar’s anti-military dictatorship revolution. Among other challenges, Tar Phone Kyaw highlighted more killings and brutality of the military dictatorship, as well as a lack of strong & unified leadership in the resistance.
At previous press conferences, TNLA officials publicly stated that they have faced not only increasing pressure but also threats from Chinese govt to stop fight the regime, when the Junta boss keep killing many innocent own folks. The TNLA is a member of the Brotherhood Alliance along with the Arakan Army (AA) based in Rakhine State & the along w/Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), a Kokang ethnic armed group from northern Shan State.

They launched Operation 1027, a major anti-regime military operation, across northern Shan State in October 2023, seizing most of the region including the capital Lashio and vital trade routes with China. The TNLA and allies seized additional towns in northern Mandalay Region, pushing towards the country’s second-largest city, Mandalay, in September 2024. But they had to slow their ops under intense pressure from the Chinese govt, which closed all border gates into territories of the two ethnic armies in northern Shan State. China also pressured another powerful group, the United Wa State Army (UWSA) in eastern Shan State, to close gates to MNDAA-held territory. Chinese govt karma is so bad, not helping himself for reportedly detained MNDAA leader Peng Daren in 2024, prompting this such group not, but help to pledge it would not attack Mandalay or Taunggyi, capital of southern Shan State. It was then, they the forced his to hand back Lashio back to the regime in April this year. But the TNLA, in China-brokered “peace” talks in Kunming in late April, refused regime’s demand to return towns it had liberated. Since then, junta has been bombing TNLA-held territory, resulting in a large number of civilian casualties.  As
further the Chinese-brokered talk, will
be between regime & the TNLA are scheduled later this month...