No. 06 - 11/2005
08 November 2005

Politics

SSA engaged in bitter debate

The news filtering in of lengthy jail sentences for its leaders has plunged the ceasefire group Shan State Army-North into a bitter war of words, according to sources from northern Shan State.

The 106 years prison term handed down to the group's supreme leader Maj-Gen Hso Ten, 93 years for Hkun Htun Oo, leader of Shan State's biggest party Shan Nationalities League for Democracy and similar long drawn-out sentences for other leaders on November 3 was "a slap in the face" of the group, said a source.

Maj-Gen Hso Ten	Hkun Htun Oo

"It happened only a few days after we had presented the regional commander with the list of our NC (National Convention) delegates," said another source wanting to remain anonymous. "Which simply means we are nothing to them and they do not care whether we are going back to armed struggle."

All the commanders, battalion upwards, were outraged by the court announcement, they claimed.

Leaders of the SSA 'North', at the time of reporting, are still engaged in a heated debate. The outcome is expected to be announced "soon", according to a member of the SSA's supreme command.

The list of Convention delegates is conspicuous by the absence of the names of previous delegates: Col Gaifah, Col Sai Du and Lt-Col Hsarm Moon Tom. It includes Lt-Col Harnserk, Majors Haw Lern, Awng Aye and Aung Myint, and Lt Wansai.
The SSA 'North' had boycotted the February session of the Convention following the arrests of 10 Shan leaders in Rangoon and Taunggyi.