The split within the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO) occurred due to differences in policy and political direction, according to Col. Khun Okkar, patron of the Pa-O National Liberation.
Recently, both factions of the PNLO publicly announced their separation, declaring that they would operate and carry out their actions independently.
Despite the split, Col. Khun Okkar emphasized that the division was unrelated to military or political conflict and that there would be no armed clashes between the two groups.
Col. Khun Okkar said, “The PNLO fraction can take its own path. We are the ones who remain here. A similar thing happened about 40 years ago when there was a split between PaO Phyu and PaO Ni. I was part of it. We were split because of political and military opinions. That’s the reason for the conflict. After 10 years, a ceasefire came, and talks between the two groups resumed. But now it is different. It is not about political and military opinions. Mainly, it’s about organization policy. So it’s basically about politics; there is conflict. People may talk about it in the media and criticize it. That’s it, not more than that. No armed conflict among us. We have no enemy policy. So, there is no need to worry about it. Every organization has this issue.”
Col. Khun Okkar released a statement on September 10 stating that the current PNLO chairman has violated the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) by launching military actions and targeting the military junta and the Pa-O National Organization (PNO).
The statement further states that urban and rural areas in southern Shan State, including Hsiseng Township, have been devastated, and many Pa-O people have been forced to flee. As one of the leading figures of the PNLO, Col. Khun Okkar announced that the PNLO faction, led by Khun Thurein, has completely departed from the PNLO. The statement also mentions that the actions of the PNLO faction have nothing to do with him.
In his statement, Col. Khun Okkar clarified that he has fully distanced himself from the actions of Khun Thuraine’s breakaway faction and reaffirmed his commitment to following the NCA framework to protect civilians.
“There are differences in policy between the two groups. We continue to adhere to the NCA. We are committed to protecting civilians and supporting humanitarian assistance. If political or peace talks arise, we will participate. That is our approach. Some of our colleagues, however, rejected this and chose to continue armed conflict, breaking the NCA agreement. Therefore, we refer to them as the breakaway group and declare that we are no longer associated with them,” he said.
In January 2024, intense clashes broke out in Hsiseng between the military junta, the PNO/PNA alliance, and the PNLO/PNLA coalition.
Following the clashes, the PNLO/PNLA coalition managed to take control of Hsiseng, but by the end of March, the military junta recaptured the town with the help of the PNO/PNA forces.
The PNLO signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) on March 15, 2015, representing the Pa-O armed group in the peace process.
