Pa-O National Army

Not to be confused with the Pa-O National Liberation Army.

Pa-O National Army
ပအိုဝ်ႏစွိုးခွိုꩻတပ်မတောႏ
LeadersU Aung Kham Hti[1]
Military leaderKhun Myint Aung
Dates of operation1949 (1949) – 9 December 2009; 2021–present
HeadquartersTaunggyi, Shan State, Myanmar
Active regionsPa-O Self-Administered Zone
(controlled territory)
IdeologyPa-O nationalism
Buddhist nationalism[2]
Ultranationalism[2]
Size4,000 (2023) 41,000 (2024)[3]
Allies
OpponentsState opponents

Non-state opponents

Battles and warsInternal conflict in Myanmar

The Pa-O National Army (Pa'o Karen: ပအိုဝ်ႏစွိုးခွိုꩻတပ်မတောႏ, Burmese: ပအိုဝ်းအမျိုးသားတပ်မတော်; abbreviated PNA) is a Pa-O state sponsored militia in Myanmar (Burma). It was established in 1949 and is the armed wing of the Pa-O National Organisation.[6][7]

The PNA protects the PNO-governed Pa-O Self-Administered Zone, which consists of three townships in southern Shan State: Hopong, Hsi Hseng, and Pinlaung townships.[1]

The PNA signed a ceasefire agreement with the then ruling State Peace and Development Council on 11 April 1991 and reformed itself as a people's militia force. It merged with other Pa-O paramilitary groups on 9 December 2009.[7][8] Following the military coup d'état on 1 February 2021, there have been reports of PNA forcibly recruiting locals, extorting money and conducting joint operations with the Burmese military against resistance groups.[9][10] An outpost occupied by allied forces of the Burmese military and PNA in Nyaung Shwe Township, southern Shan State was seized by a joint force of Pekon People's Defence Force and Karenni Nationalities Defence Force in May 2022.[11]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b South, Ashley (2008). Ethnic Politics in Burma: States of Conflict. Oxon: Routledge. pp. 122–124. ISBN 978-0-203-89519-1. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Misinformation, Hate Speech and Ethno-Religious Tensions in Myanmar". United States Institute of Peace. 27 April 2024. Archived from the original on 23 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  3. ^ "'They are preparing for war': Forced recruiting by Pa-O militia in Shan". Frontier Myanmar. 28 February 2023. Archived from the original on 6 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Pa-O regions militia groups and Myanmar Military Junta". BNI. 5 January 2022. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  5. ^ "Pyusawhti militia". Myanmar NOW. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Armed ethnic groups". Myanmar Peace Monitor. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  7. ^ a b "PNLO". Myanmar Peace Monitor. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  8. ^ Kyaw, Sann; Christensen, Russ (2006). The Pa-O: Rebels and Refugees. Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books. ISBN 978-974-9575-93-2.
  9. ^ "PNO/PNA Recruiting Youths In Mong Pawn Township". BNI. 15 June 2022. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  10. ^ "The Myanmar Military Junta's Divide and Rule Tactic". BNI. 2 June 2022. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Myanmar Resistance Claims Victory Over Junta Outpost". The Irrawaddy. 13 May 2022. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
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