Shan United Revolutionary Army
Burmese insurgent group
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The Shan United Revolutionary Army (Burmese: ရှမ်းပြည်နယ်တပ်ပေါင်းစုတော်လှန်ရေးတပ်မတော်; abbreviated SURA) or Tai Revolutionary Council (TRC) was a Shan insurgent group in Myanmar (Burma), led by Moh Heng.[2][1]
| Shan United Revolutionary Army | |
|---|---|
| ရှမ်းပြည်နယ်တပ်ပေါင်းစုတော်လှန်ရေးတပ်မတော် | |
Flag of the Shan United Revolutionary Army | |
Leaders | |
| Dates active | 1959[1] -1996 |
| Headquarters | Homong, Shan State |
| Active regions | Shan State |
| Ideology | |
| Part of |  Mong Tai Army |
| Wars | the Internal conflict in Myanmar |
History
The SURA was formed in the 1959 by Moh Heng, who earlier formed the Shan State Communist Party in 1956.[3]
The SURA however took anti-communist position due to its close links with the KMT. According to former SSA commander, Chao Tzang Yawnghwe, Mo Heng rejected overtures to form a united front on the basis of purported CPB influence within the SSPP. Chao Tzang Yawnghwe claims the real reason was that a united Shan front threatened the positions of ethnic Chinese smugglers and financiers who funded SURA.[1] In 1984, it merged with the anti-communist 2nd Brigade of the Shan State Army to form the Tai Revolutionary Council (TRC) when the 2nd Brigade headquarters was overrun by Khun Sa's Shan United Army (SUA).[4]
In early 1985 its headquarters at Piang Luang came under pressure from the SUA as the latter sought to consolidate control over the border area.[5] The TRC then ended its relationship the KMT, and allied itself with the SUA, to create the Mong Tai Army with its base of operations in Homong.[6][7] In 1996 most of its soldiers disarmed, but a group of 800 soldiers were integrated into the newly formed Shan State Army – South by Yawd Serk.[citation needed]
Further reading
- Trevor Wilson (ed.) Myanmar's Long Road to National Reconciliation, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2006, ISBN 978-981-230-363-9; 981-230-363-4
