Shan State Army

The Shan State Army, or SSA, was an army formed in 1964 to resist the military government of Burma in Shan State.

It later split into two factions, usually known in English as the Shan State Army - South or SSA-S, which continues to oppose the government, and the Shan State Army - North or SSA-N, which is more conciliatory towards the government. The Burmese government wishes the Shan State Army - North to join its border guard force. Two of the three brigades are reported to have agreed to join the border guard, while the other has refused.

There is also an Eastern Shan State Army or ESSA, which is more commonly known by the title National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), established in 1989 by Sai Hleng. The name is NDAA-ESSA is also used. It is reportedly based in Mongla near the Chinese border in Eastern Shan State region. It is variously reported to be led by Sai Leun, a former senior figure in the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) or Yang Mao-liang. The ESSA was in a cease-fire agreement with the government from 1989 to 2009.

Famous quotes containing the words shan, state and/or army:

    “If grandparents want to have a meaningful and constructive role, the first lesson they must learn is that becoming a grandparent is not having a second chance at parenthood!”
    —Eda Le Shan (20th century)

    “Such is the state of life, that none are happy but by the anticipation of change: the change itself is nothing; when we have made it, the next wish is to change again. The world is not yet exhausted; let me see something tomorrow which I never saw before.”
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    “The contention that a standing army and navy is the best security of peace is about as logical as the claim that the most peaceful citizen is he who goes about heavily armed. The experience of every-day life fully proves that the armed individual is invariably anxious to try his strength. The same is historically true of governments. Really peaceful countries do not waste life and energy in war preparations, with the result that peace is maintained.”
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