New Democratic Army - Kachin
New Democratic Army - Kachin | |
---|---|
ကချင်ဒီမိုကရေစီသစ် တပ်မတော် Participant in the Internal conflict in Myanmar | |
Active | 1989 2009 | –November
Ideology |
Kachin nationalism Communism[1] |
Leaders |
Zahkung Ting Ying Layawk Zelum Ying Zelum |
Headquarters | Pangwa, Kachin State |
Area of operations |
Kachin State, Myanmar Myanmar-China border |
Strength | 200–300; 700 (peak)[1] |
Originated as | Kachin Independence Army |
Allies | |
Opponents |
State opponents |
Battles and wars |
The New Democratic Army - Kachin (Burmese: ကချင်ဒီမိုကရေစီသစ် တပ်မတော်; abbreviated NDA-K) was an armed insurgent group that operated from 1989 until its conversion into a "border guard force" in November 2009.[1][3][4]
History
The NDA-K was founded by in 1989 by former Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) officers Zahkung Tingying, Layawk Zelum, and Ying Zelum; when they led a communist faction of 700 soldiers that split from the KIO due to its political differences.[1][2] In the same year, the group agreed to a ceasefire with the government, and it de facto operated under the Tatmadaw's command as a "special regional task force".[1]
The group received a budget, rations, and supplies from the government. Additionally, 600 soldiers were paid by the government as part of the Myanmar Police Force.[1] In November 2009, the group became one of the first insurgent groups under a ceasefire agreement to convert into a "border guard force". Some members have since joined the Kachin State Progressive Party (KSPP) to contest in the 2010 general election.[3]