CNI News
24 October 2025
Following remarks that the “Wa” could obtain statehood if they entered Parliament, discussions have emerged among military and political analysts about whether the United Wa State Army (UWSA) might actually participate in Parliament to seek the establishment of a Wa State.
At a peace workshop held on October 17, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Services and Chairman of the National Solidarity and Peace Negotiation Committee (NSPNC), Vice Senior General Yar Pyae, stated that under the 2008 Constitution, if the Wa wanted to have their own state, they should participate in elections and formally propose it in Parliament.
However, sources involved in the peace process told CNI News that UWSA leaders understand that it would be very difficult to gain parliamentary approval for Wa State and therefore find it hard to accept the suggestion.
U Khun Sai, who has long been involved in the peace process, told CNI:
“That’s just what he (Lt-Gen Yar Pyae) said, according to the 2008 Constitution. Under that Constitution, such an issue must be decided not only in (Hluttaw) Parliament but also through public referendums. So, when this topic came up during the peace workshop, Wa leaders reportedly understood the point—but their top leaders still rejected it. It’s understandable. In Shan State, the Wa population is small, and they have few representatives in Parliament. So, it wouldn’t be easy to pass a motion establishing a Wa State through parliamentary means. That’s why Wa leaders likely find it difficult to accept that path.”
Lt-Gen Yar Pyae
During the previous governments of former President U Thein Sein and the NLD, requests were made for elections to be held in UWSA-controlled territories, but the UWSA flatly refused. It remains unclear whether the Myanmar military government's elections will be allowed to hold in those areas this time.
Currently, Hopang Township, which is under UWSA control, is not included in the list of constituencies for Phase 1 of the general election scheduled for December 28, 2025.
However, U Nyi Rang, the head of the UWSA liaison office in Lashio, has publicly stated that the UWSA supports the upcoming election.
Analysts noted that the NSPNC Chairman’s comments appear to be part of an effort to expand the number of areas where elections can be held. They also observed that while the UWSA is maintaining good relations with the military, it does not necessarily mean it will follow everything the military says.
UWSA troops providing security in Pansang, the Wa region.
Dr. Hla Kyaw Zaw, a China–Myanmar affairs analyst, told CNI News:
“For now, it doesn’t seem like the Wa will contest in the election. They’ll probably just observe. I don’t think they’ll act exactly as instructed by the military. The military, on the other hand, is working hard to make the election look legitimate and to hold it in as many areas as possible to claim legal authority over the whole country. That’s why they’re trying to ensure elections are held in all the territories they can. But I don’t think the Wa will actually hold elections. They just want to maintain good relations with the military—nothing more.”
At present, the UWSA-controlled areas operate independently of central government authority, with their own administrative, legislative, and judicial systems.
The UWSA signed a ceasefire agreement with the Myanmar military in 1989, after which it was granted self-administrative status over Hopang, Mong Mao, Panwai, Nahpan, Metman, and Pansang townships, forming two districts collectively known as the Wa Self-Administered Division.
However, although the UWSA has a bilateral ceasefire with the government, it has not signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).
