From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The
Kachin Defense Army
(
Burmese
:
?????????????????????
;
abbreviated
KDA
), also known as the
Kaungkha militia
, is an armed
insurgent group
that operates in northern
Shan State
,
Myanmar
. It was converted into a pro-
Tatmadaw
militia
after it surrendered to the Burmese military January 2010.
[1]
History
[
edit
]
The KDA was formerly the 4th brigade of the
Kachin Independence Army
(KIA), until it split from its parent organisation, the
Kachin Independence Organisation
(KIO), and moved their headquarters to
Kawnghka
,
Kutkai Township
,
Shan State
.
[1]
After the
Mong Tai Army
disbanded, the KDA gained some of their abandoned territory.
[3]
In 1991, the group signed a ceasefire with the Burmese government.
[2]
In 2010, the KDA accepted a proposal by the
State Peace and Development Council
, the then governing body of Myanmar, to transform into a militia for the Burmese military. Originally, the KDA requested to be converted into a
Border Guard Force
to accommodate a larger army size, but this was rejected. The KDA surrendered their heavy weapons and mortars to the Northeastern Regional Command, in accordance to the "conversion process". The group was also split into two smaller factions, with 100 members in each group.
[1]
In March 2020, the groups headquarters in
Kawnghka
was raided by the
Myanmar Army
. Several leaders were detained, around 1,000 weapons were confiscated, and stashes of illegal drugs were seized.
[2]
See also
[
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]
References
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]