The Mongko Region Defence Army (;

abbreviated An abbreviation () is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method including shortening, contraction, initialism (which includes acronym), or crasis. An abbreviation may be a shortened form of a word, usually ended with a trailing per ...

MRDA) was an insurgent group based in Mongko,

Shan State Shan State (, ; , ) is a administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos (Louang Namtha Province, Louang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces) to the east, and Thailand (Chiang Rai Province, Chia ...

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

. The then-ruling military junta in Myanmar, the

State Peace and Development Council The State Peace and Development Council ( ; abbreviated SPDC or , ) was the official name of the Military dictatorship, military government of Burma (Myanmar) which, in 1997, succeeded the State Law and Order Restoration Council (; abbrevi ...

(SPDC), allegedly encouraged the MRDA to cooperate with narcos on the

China–Myanmar border The China–Myanmar border is the international border between the territory of the People's Republic of China and Myanmar (formerly ''Burma''). The border is 2,129 km (1,323 mi) in length and runs from the tripoint with India in the nor ...

History

In August 1995, Mong Hsala announced his split with Yang Maoliang and the

Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) is an armed Insurgency, resistance group in the Kokang region of Myanmar (Burma). The army has existed since 1989, having been the first one to sign a ceasefire agreement with the Burmese gov ...

(MNDAA), and renamed a brigade under his command to the Mongko Region Defence Army (MRDA). Immediately afterwards, the group signed a ceasefire with the government of Myanmar. In September 2000, deputy commander Li Nimen mutinied and ousted Mong Hsala from the group, with support from

Kokang Kokang (; ) is a region in Myanmar. It is located in the northern part of Shan State, with the Salween River to its west, and sharing a border with China's Yunnan Province to the east. Its total land area is around . The capital is Laukkai. K ...

leader Peng Jiasheng, who had ousted Yang Maoliang from the MNDAA several years prior. On November 24, the

Tatmadaw The Tatmadaw, also known as the Sit-Tat, is the armed forces of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is administered by the Ministry of Defence and composed of the Myanmar Army, the Myanmar Navy and the Myanmar Air Force. Auxiliary services include ...

had covertly placed shooters in advance at the peace negotiation site at Hay Moe Lone village and shot and killed Li Nimen and his men when they arrived. The remaining members of the MRDA were forcibly disbanded.

References

Ethnic armed organisations in Myanmar {{Myanmar-org-stub