October 29
A recent meeting of the Shan State Army ‘North’ leaders had resolved to attend the constitutional convention to be held by Burma’s generals before the end of the year, according to ceasefire sources.

The SSA ‘North’, one of the most prominent ceasefire groups, had not attended the last round of the convention in February in protest of the arrests of its leaders, Maj-Gen Hso Ten and Hkun Htun Oo, leader of the Shan State’s largest winning party, Shan Nationalities League for Democracy and Chairman of the Shan State Joint Action Committee which the SSA ‘North’ is a member. Further pressure from Rangoon had also forced the SSA’s ally Shan State National Army back to the armed struggle.

The 23 October meeting on Loi Khurh, a mountain fortress in Hsipaw township, thought its attendance would ease off junta pressures on Hso Ten and the SSA.

One source in northern Shan State however said the agreement to attend the convention would have no effect on the continuing pressures for the SSA to surrender. “The Palaung (State Liberation Army) had attended the last session,” he pointed out. “Still it was forced to surrender.”

The Palaung State Liberation Army surrendered last April.