CNI News

28 May 2025

The NDAA Vice Chairman U San Pei’s statement that no armed or political organizations have been accepted in the Mongla region of Shan State (East) seems to prioritize stability, U Thein Tun Oo, executive director of the Thayninga Institute for Strategy Studies told CNI News. 

A delegation led by vice chairmen of the National Democratic Alliance Army, U San Pei and U San Lu as well as general secretary of the NDAA, U Kyi Myint met and discussed with the SAC chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing at the Triangle Command on May 25, 2025.

During the meeting, U San Pei said that no armed groups or political organizations have been accepted in their region. The fact that no armed group or political organization had been accepted in the Mongla region means that only that region guaranteed peace, said U Thein Tun Oo to CNI News.

The SAC chairman

"By saying that the NDAA does not accept any armed group or any political organization, it means that the NDAA only guarantees peace in his own territory. Other armed groups have nothing to do with it. That means that it guarantees the peace that it has made. If all other armed groups have that attitude, the country's permanent peace will be a very smooth and easy process. But one armed group is fighting in its own territory. If the other side comes to conduct military operations, they will go into other areas and hide. If they gather, the armed conflict will be prolonged. So, we can consider the idea that the NDAA can provide guarantees in this regard," he said.

The NDAA's stance was to focus on the Our Three Main National Causes (Non-disintegration of the Union, Non-disintegration of national solidarity and Perpetuation of sovereignty) which have been laid down and practiced for over 30 years by the State for over 30 years, said U San Pei, vice chairman of the NDAA.

Myanmar is a union state and is moving towards a union system based on a truly disciplined multi-party democracy and federalism. Therefore, it is necessary for all ethnic brothers and sisters living in the country to work together for the interests of the country, said the SAC Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

The NDAA often accepted refugees who fled their homes due to fighting in Shan State as a humanitarian gesture, said Dr. Hla Kyaw Zaw, a Myanmar-China affairs analyst.

While the SAC chairman was meeting with the NDAA

" Although the NDAA says they haven't accepted any armed group, they have said that they can accept those who flee battles on humanitarian grounds. The NDAA accepted injured people or those who were in bad health from other armed groups. There is an understanding among them. For example, during the MNDAA 1027 fighting, they accepted all the people who fled, all the refugees. The NDAA just sent them to Tangyang and Tachileik by car. They did whatever they could to help the refugees who returned to the mainland," she said.

The NDAA split from the Burma Communist Party and made peace with the Myanmar Tatmadaw on June 30, 1989, and the Myanmar Tatmadaw designated the Mongla region in Shan State (East) as Special Region (4).

AA, KIA, MNDAA and TNLA, that are members of the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC) in which the NDAA is included as a member, are in heavy fighting with the Myanmar Tatmadaw and they have accepted NUG, PDFs and NUCC which have been declared terrorist groups by the Myanmar Tatmadaw.

Therefore, the NDAA reaffirms that even though some FPNCC members have accepted armed groups and political organizations that the Myanmar Tatmadaw does not approve of, the NDAA has not accepted them, military and political observers said.

CNI News

28 May 2025

Due to the ongoing wars, military conscription law, and earthquakes in Myanmar, in the construction industry, skilled workers and ordinary workers have been scarce as well as higher daily wages, construction entrepreneurs told CNI News. 

The daily wage of a laborer used to be around 10,000 kyats, but now it is much higher.

The increase in labor charge rates is likely due to the imbalance between the existing labor force and demand, U Myo Myint, general secretary of the Myanmar Construction Entrepreneurs Federation, told CNI News.

"Workers are very scarce. Because after the earthquake, a lot of workers are needed to clear the debris. The number of workers has been decreasing since then. Some people have gone abroad, so at the time of the earthquake, the number of workers was already decreasing. Labor costs have been increasing dramatically. These are among the reasons why construction work has stopped. The shortage of experts, engineers, and workers in the construction industry is an important aspect. Previously, the daily wage of a laborer was around 10,000 kyats, but now it is around 25,000 kyats. In some places, they are paid 40,000 to 50,000 kyats. Because demand and supply are not equal. I think it could be different in the next 4, 5, 6 months," he said.

While seeing construction workers

Currently, construction activity is low due to difficulties in purchasing construction materials and other issues following the earthquake, according to business owners. 

The resumption of construction activities depends on the country's economy, and construction entrepreneurs are currently in discussions, U Maung Maung, chairman of Shwe Gabar Maung Maung Construction, told CNI News.

“Now, in Naypyidaw, Mandalay, and Sagaing, workers are asking for 40,000 kyats a day, 50,000 kyats a day, and so on. I heard that some contractors are hiring expensive workers as needed. We construction entrepreneurs are consulting on how to do it. The land price is too high, the labor cost is too high, and there are too many regulations. Whether these businesses can be started again will depend on the country's economy. If the economy is bad, there is little chance that they will be able to do so at the moment. We can't do it either because the amount of money we have and the amount of money we need to invest are too far apart," he said.

The SAC Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said that buildings must be built to withstand at least a Richter scale of 8 when they are constructed, while meeting with the public during his inspection visit to the earthquake-stricken Inle Lake region on April 11, 2025.

The government has set a price for cement for earthquake-affected buildings at 17,000 kyats per bag, but it is difficult to buy it on the ground, and the price is reportedly as high as 40,000 kyats.

CNI News

27 May 2025

The SAC Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and a delegation led by the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) Vice Chairman U San Paet met at the Triangle Command on May 25, 2025, to discuss political and economic issues. 

The meeting was attended by SAC Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, SAC Joint Secretary and Chief of Military Security Affairs General Ye Win Oo, Chief of the General Staff General Kyaw Swar Lin, and senior military officials from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief.

Then, NDAA Vice Chairman U San Paet, Vice Chairman U San Lu, and General Secretary U Kyi Myint attended.

“It is necessary to develop industries based on locally grown rubber and produce high-end products as well as to develop livestock industry to produce sufficient meat and fish in the region, and the state will provide necessary support,” said the SAC chairman.

He then said that the state would also provide assistance to things regarding transportation and that they would have to carry out regional development work.

“We also want the SAC's help to make regional transportation and communication faster and smoother, and we want the government to continue to provide assistance in the education sector in our region. We do not accept any armed group or political organization in our region, and we will cooperate for regional and national stability and peace,” said U San Pei.

He then said that the NDAA's stance was to focus on the Our Three Main National Causes (Non-disintegration of the Union, Non-disintegration of national solidarity and Perpetuation of sovereignty) which have been laid down and practiced for over 30 years by the State for over 30 years.

The NDAA split from the Burma Communist Party and made peace with the Myanmar Tatmadaw on June 30, 1989. The Myanmar Tatmadaw designated the Mongla region in Shan State (eastern) as Special Region (4).

CNI News

27 May 2025

They have not accepted any armed group or political organization in their region, said U San Pei, vice chairman of the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA). 

He made the above statement during a meeting with SAC Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing at the Triangle Command on May 25, 2025.

"We do not accept any armed group or political organization in our region, and we will cooperate for regional and national stability and peace," said U San Pei. 

He then said that the NDAA's stance was to focus on the Our Three Main National Causes (Non-disintegration of the Union, Non-disintegration of national solidarity and Perpetuation of sovereignty) which have been laid down and practiced for over 30 years by the State for over 30 years.

Myanmar is a union state and is moving towards a union system based on a truly disciplined multi-party democracy and federalism. Therefore, it is necessary for all ethnic brothers and sisters living in the country to work together for the interests of the country, said the SAC Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. 

He told the NDAA delegation that since Myanmar is a union state, it is necessary to ensure that the official language and literature prescribed by the state are mastered nationwide.

The NDAA split from the Burma Communist Party and made peace with the Myanmar Tatmadaw on June 30, 1989. The Myanmar Tatmadaw designated the Mongla region in Shan State (eastern) as Special Region (4). In the Special Regions 4, the Chinese language and Chinese currency are mainly used, rather than using the Burmese language and the Myanmar currency, Kyat.

Then, AA, KIA, MNDAA and TNLA that are members of the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC) which consists of the NDAA are severely fighting with the Myanmar Tatmadaw and they have received NUG, PDF and NUCC that have been declared as terrorist groups by the Myanmar Tatmadaw.

Therefore, the NDAA reaffirmed that even though some FPNCC members have accepted armed groups and political organizations that the Myanmar Tatmadaw does not like, it has rejected them, said military and political analysts.

CNI News

27 May 2025

Territorial domination operations need to be carried out successfully, said the SAC chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

He said this while inspecting the military duty implementations of the Triangle Command in Kengtung, Shan State (East) on May 24, 2025.

“The forces need to be able to successfully carry out military operations, security, and territorial control tasks in the areas they are responsible for, and when it comes to regional security and national security, they need to always be careful and take it seriously,” he said. 

In addition, he said that the battalions and units under the command of the regional military headquarters would need to have full capabilities of combat capabilities and combat power.

In Myanmar, the Myanmar Tatmadaw ousted the NLD government on February 1, 2021, claiming that the NLD attempted to form a government without resolving the 2020 general election voter list dispute and the Myanmar Tatmadaw declared a state of emergency and is ruling the country.

Then some NLD leaders, some members of the Hluttaw, activists, and some EAOs are taking up armed struggle to overthrow the Myanmar Tatmadaw and the SAC. 

The armed conflict has spread across Myanmar, forcing more than 3 million people to flee their homes and burning down tens of thousands of homes.

Moreover, the Myanmar Tatmadaw has lost control of hundreds of military bases and more than 90 towns and cities.

CNI News

26 May 2025

In the aftermath of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar, construction businesses are experiencing low activity due to difficulties in purchasing construction materials and other issues, business owners told CNI News. 

Currently, there is a lot of repair work in earthquake-affected areas, while construction work is low in other areas, U Myo Myint, general secretary of the Myanmar Construction Entrepreneurs Federation, told CNI News. 

It was because of the shortage of construction materials and the rising costs, causing difficulties for entrepreneurs and homeowners, he said.

“The main problem with the low activity of construction work is that materials are insufficient for the demand. After the earthquake, the first problem is difficult to get enough cement.  Because we have to construct buildings that can withstand a Richter scale 8 , the cost will be higher than the original cost. Therefore, it becomes difficult for some homeowners who will build, as well as for those who will build with a contract. For example, if the contractor invests more, he will not be able to give the homeowner much. Moreover, currently, there is a lot of repair work in the earthquake-hit areas, so there is less construction work in other areas," U Myo Myint said.

During the current reconstruction work, the mainly needed cement is not available due to high demand, and other construction materials are also in short supply. The Union Minister for Industry then said that he had instructed the relevant factories to sell cement to earthquake-affected buildings at 17,000 kyats per bag.

However, the prices on the ground are as high as 40,000 kyats, and they do not receive vouchers when they buy. Therefore, construction entrepreneurs point out that the demand for cement, which is the main requirement for the construction industry, should be met by importing it from abroad, depending on the amount that can be produced domestically. 

As people have had little interest in high-rise buildings since the earthquake, there are few large-scale construction projects while small scale construction activities only were more, U Maung Maung, chairman of Shwe Gabar Maung Maung Construction, told CNI News.

"After the earthquake, people's interest in high-rise buildings has decreased. So, construction work has decreased compared to before. We don't see many people building high-rise buildings. Another problem is that the labor force has become scarce." he said. 

When constructing buildings, they must be built that can withstand at least a Richter scale of 8, said the SAC Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing during his visit to the earthquake-stricken Inle Lake region on April 11, 2025, and  his meeting with the public.

In addition, government departments sold iron, steel, cement, and construction materials needed for rehabilitation work in Naypyidaw from May 12 to 18.

CNI News

26 May 2025

Ethnic issues cannot be resolved because historical errors are being taught in education curricula, U Sai Htay Aung, chairman of the Tai Leng (Shanni) National Development Party, told CNI News that.

Military and political observers have pointed out that the teaching of historical errors in primary, middle, and high schools in Myanmar and the teaching that the country is protected only by Bamar heroes undermines national unity.

 Myanmar's education system is teaching personality cult to young people more than to love their country, U Sai Htay Aung, chairman of the Tai Leng (Shanni) Nationalities Development Party, told CNI News.

“In the past, when they fought, if the Shan won, the Shan ruled; if the Burmese won, the Burmese ruled; if the Mon won, the Mon ruled. When the Rakhine won, the Rakhine came to rule. The lessons focusing on only the three Bamar heroes are taught in basic education schools, erasing these historical facts, so the rest of the ethnic groups began to feel that they were not involved in building this country. Our last Shan Ni king, Tho Han Bwa, was written in history as one of heresy and our entire ethnic group was put in the historical record so that it could not be avoided. I mean, these are very bad historical records. Because of such curricula, the Bamar have become a great nationality and have become less considerate of other ethnic groups. I would like to say that the problem starts there," he said.

While seeing armed groups, government, and military leaders

A political analyst told CNI Nws that the Bamar have never had Chauvinism, that there are concerns that if the ethnic groups are given the right to rule, they will secede, that there is no great ethnic group and in fact those who discriminate racially are only ethnic groups.

“We, Bamar people, are not discriminating against ethnic groups. If the Burmese go to the Kokang region, the Kokang forces say that Bamar people cannot enter their region. And they say that holding National Verification Card is illegal in their region. This is racial discrimination. All ethnic armed groups are dictators. They are also talking about federalism to gain power. To be honest, ethnic armed groups are taking advantage of the government's weakness in administration, politics, and military. They are the ones who are discriminating racially. They are the ones who do not believe in democracy,” he said.

Preparations have been made to hold an inter-ethnic singing, dancing, and music competition.

In Myanmar, non-Bamar ethnic groups are weak in designating the Bamar as an ethnic group while The Bamar people also use the term "ethnic" to refer to non-Bamar people and consider them to be low grade people.

Although Myanmar was founded by a diverse group of people, the history curriculum mostly teaches only about Anawrahta, Bayintnaung, Alaungpaya, and General Aung San, while teaching the histories of other ethnic groups who have served the country is very weak.

Therefore, discussions are underway in Myanmar to adopt a multicultural policy in the education curriculum and educate future generations.

CNI News

26 May 2025

Each state in the confederation has its own military, making it a separate entity and posing a great danger to the union, Sai Ai Paung, chairman of the Shan and Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), told CNI News. 

He also said that ethnic groups should be allowed to govern their own regions under a federal system and remain in the Union, and therefore, there is a need for open discussions at the political roundtable.

“Federalism means that the Union is united. In your own region, you govern yourself, share resources, and taxes fairly with the Union. That's the way it is. The confederation is dangerous in every state. Why did the Russian Union collapse? Because of the confederation. In a confederation, every state has its own army. It seems to exist separately. It's a great danger to the Union.In a federal system, it allows ethnic groups to govern their own regions to govern themselves, to remain in the union, to enjoy equal rights, to share them fairly, the main thing is to discuss peacefully and openly at the roundtable. I think it's best for the country if all the armed groups can peacefully discuss things around the political table," said Sai Ai Paung.

While seeing some armed leaders and Senior General Min Aung Hlaing

Currently, efforts are being made to build a federal and democratically based union, but some ethnic armed groups are even expressing goals such as confederation and independence.

In peace talks, ethnic armed groups are only demanding ethnic issues and are not demanding regional issues. 

They should not be organizations that represent a group of people, but rather organizations that represent the region. The ethnic armed groups are trying to gain their own territories, so the Myanmar Tatmadaw will have to continue fighting, said the SAC Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

A confederation is less dangerous than establishing a separate country, but more dangerous than a true federal union.

If the ethnic groups focus on federalism, they should not demand more than federalism, Colonel Khun Okkar, chairman of the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO-NCA/S), which has signed the NCA, told CNI News.

While seeing the KIA, the AA, the TNLA and the MNDAA leaders

"A confederation is less dangerous than the establishment of a separate country, but more dangerous than a true federal union. In a federal union, all ethnic groups can enjoy equal rights. For the entire Union, it is a collective defense system. If we can create systems that foster collective economic development, then federalism is the best model for our country. However, if the unity becomes weak, some states and some peoples may demand something higher than federalism, such as a confederation. But such a demand could harm the federal government. In fact, if the focus is really on federalism, it's not appropriate to ask for more," he said.

The Arakan Army (AA) has said it will seek political status no lower than the “Wa” or achieve confederation status. The EAOs that have achieved confederation status beyond the federal system in Myanmar are the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA). 

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) Vice Chairman Lt. Gen. Gun Maw had also expressed that ethnic people would have considered something higher federalism by 2025.

Furthermore, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) Secretary-General Major General Tar Bone Kyaw said on August 18, 2022 that the Palaung people must prepare in advance to be ready if the situation arose to establish a country.

CNI News
24 May 2025

The SAC Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said that all citizens need to be aware of the plans being implemented by some countries to disintegrate Myanmar and control the countries they want to control, using Myanmar as a decoy in the region.

He made the remarks during a meeting with young graduates of basic and advanced maritime and aviation training courses held on May 21, 2025.

The elements that have been destabilizing Myanmar since its independence and their affiliates have been orchestrating the incident, and that they carried out to intervene at any time, said the SAC chairman.

“The subversives are aware of the political and socio-economic balances of Myanmar, which are maintained by the constitution, and they know that only by destroying these balances can they implement their evil plans to disintegrate Myanmar and control the countries they want to control, using Myanmar as a decoy in the region Therefore, all our citizens must be aware that they are constantly working to achieve their plans,” he said.

SAC Chairman, Chinese President Xi and US President Donald Trump

The SAC chairman did not say exactly which countries were trying to control other ones.

China and the United States are trying to control each other by using the institutions they have influence over in Myanmar, military and political analysts point out.

Myanmar can become a developed country if it is built with good leaders and good policies, Sai Htay Aung, chairman of the Shanni Nationalities Development Party, told CNI News.

“When we look back at the relations between the United States and Burma, it showed that the United States is not an enemy of Myanmar. In addition, in China, Mao Zedong took power in 1949. When the world did not recognize this, Myanmar was the first to recognize them. Myanmar was under the U Nu government at that time. Burma came out with the Bandung Five Principles. At that time, China was not invited to the Bandung Conference. Now, like in Myanmar, when the international community boycotted the coup. But Myanmar said that if the conference did not invite China, he would not attend the conference either. At that time, U Nu had a lot of political influence in the world. So, the conference had to invite China. That is why China was grateful to Myanmar and think about how to develop Myanmar without causing problems. I see what U Min Aung Hlaing is saying now as saying that he wants to live in peace with the international community,” he said.

 Chinese President Xi, Russian President Putin, US President Donald Trump

Myanmar needed to work to prevent the recurrence of ugly historical incidents such as the 2020 election as well as the lawless activities in the name of democracy, and the authoritarian actions that would disrupt the unity and balance of the country in the pre-election period, said the SAC chairman.

The SAC chairman said that Myanmar is a friend of the United States, and China is a neighbor, a strategic partner, and a brotherly country, and that Myanmar would have the best possible relations with both countries.

Currently, powerful countries such as Russia, China, the United States, and India are competing in economic and political spheres in Myanmar.