KIO Leader Accuses Myanmar Junta of Provoking Kachin-Shan Ethnic Tensions

The Myanmar military junta is deliberately inciting ethnic tensions between the historically coexisting Kachin and Shan communities.

Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) Chairman Gen. N'Ban La made these remarks during the group's 66th-anniversary ceremony on October 25. He chairs both the KIO and its armed wing, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

Gen. N'Ban La accused the regime of fueling these conflicts following the 2021 military coup. He cited military attacks carried out under the name of the junta-aligned Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA) in Kachin State as clear evidence.

“The coup regime is deliberately stirring up tensions to create conflict between the Shan and Kachin communities,” he said. “We have seen the situation get worse since the 2021 coup.”

The KIO leader reminded the public of the historic Panglong Agreement.

Through this treaty, Kachin and Shan leaders previously united in their struggle to achieve independence from colonial rule.

He also warned Shan residents about the junta's manipulative administrative tactics. The regime is reportedly issuing national identification cards (NICs) to some Shan individuals that falsely register their ethnicity as Bamar, Myanmar's majority group.

Gen. N'Ban La urged both communities to resist the military’s "divide and conquer" strategy. He emphasized that the KIO and allied ethnic revolutionary organizations (EROs) are working tirelessly to build a strong federal union.

He added that the junta has no interest in federalism or public well-being.

Instead, the regime routinely bombs civilian homes, workplaces, schools, and religious buildings.

“The public needs to understand the regime’s tactics and work together with us until we achieve our military objectives,” Gen. N'Ban La urged. He vowed that the KIO would continue fighting until it achieves its revolutionary goals and ends the military dictatorship.

Photo caption: KIO/KIA Chairman General N'Ban La delivers his speech at a ceremony marking the 66th anniversary of the KIO's founding on October 25, 2026.