Myanmar forms more border guard forces ahead of election

The Myanmar government has formed more border guard forces in two areas in the country's Shan state- East under the command of the government forces, a state-run daily reported Friday.

The two areas, where such forces were established, are Pungpahkyem in Mongton township and Mongyu in Mongyawng township in the state, said the New Light of Myanmar.

The report did not specify the former leadership of the border guard forces.

Shan state-East falls within the state's special region-4, which is also known as Mongla region where a peace group, the National Democratic Alliance Force (NDAF), was resettled after it ceasefired with the government in June 1989, becoming one of the 17 anti-government ethnic armed groups which have made peace with the government since 1988.

The formation of the border guard forces in the two areas came after the government enacted a set of five electoral laws last month to be based for the coming multi-party general election.

Prior to this, three former ethnic peace groups had been transformed by the government to such border guard forces under its command in late last year. They are New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K) in Kachin State Special Region-1, Kayinni Nationalities People's Liberation Front (KNPLF) in Kayah State Special Region-2 in November and Kokang Army in Shan State (North) Special Region-1 in the northeast in December.

The NDA-K, led by Sakhone Ting Ying, ceased fire with the government in December 1989, while the KNPLF in May 1994 and the Kokang ethnic army in March 1989.

These peace groups were allowed since then to retain arms and enjoy conditional self-administration.

Under the government's fifth step of its seven-step roadmap announced in 2003, a multi-party democracy general election is to be held later this year in accordance with the 2008 new state constitution to produce parliament representatives and form a new civilian government to which the state power is said to be transferred.

Source:Xinhua

[1] [2]