Years of shifting resources away from the Myanmar army and changing requirements for its senior ranks have led to its current weaknesses on the battlefield. Are the junta fielding men of straw? A former ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute researcher weighs in.
Hsai Numkong It is interesting to consider whether the autonomy claim of the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), also known as the Mong La group, has anything to do with the Shan unity. Long before the 2010 transition to democracy in Myanmar, the Mong La group demanded autonomy from the central government. It seems, however, that the demand for autonomy brought out by