CNI News
21 November 2025
If Shan people do not protect and safeguard their homeland, Shan State may one day fall into the hands of other nationalities, according to General Yawd Serk, Chairman of the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA).
He made the remark in his message for the 2120 Shan New Year, issued on November 19, 2025.
“If Shan people fail to cherish and safeguard Shan State, then in the time of our children and grandchildren, other peoples may enter, settle, and live inside Shan State, and our own land will fall under their ownership. If that happens, the lives of Shan people will not only decline but also become humiliating, forcing them to flee to other regions and countries to seek refuge and make a living.”, said General Yawd Serk
Therefore, he urged: “Cherish your history, love your homeland, protect your properties, your farms, and your lands, and collectively safeguard Shan State.”
Shan New Year celebrations
Lt-Gen Ywet Sit added, “The only thing that can never be changed or moved is the territory of our homeland. Shan State is a land that has been ruled for generations by Shan kings and Sawbwars (Shan chiefs). Shan State belongs to all Shan people. For it to remain a stable and enduring homeland in the future, we must all come together to protect it.”
Shan State is currently home to multiple armed groups, including the RCSS, the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP/SSA), the National Democratic Alliance Army–Mongla (NDAA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the United Wa State Army (UWSA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Arakan Army (AA), People’s Defence Forces (PDFs), and People’s Militia Forces.
As a result, clashes are occurring both among armed groups themselves and between these groups and the Myanmar military (Tatmadaw), causing hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee their homes.
At the same time, ethnic armed groups and business actors are jointly extracting and selling valuable mineral resources in Shan State.
