SUMMARY
PSLF (Palaung State Liberation Front) was an armed group active in Myanmar’s Shan state. Myanmar consists of a patchwork of ethnic groups, many of which have harbored a sense of deprivation, as the Myanma government has not been able to provide satisfactory minority rights. Soon after Myanmar’s independence in 1948, many minority ethnic group began protesting the perceived domination of the state by the majority Burmese/Bamar population. Following the seizure of government power by the Myanma military in the 1960s, repression against the ethnic minorities increased. As a result, many minority groups have seen armed outfits claiming to promote their social and political rights by taking up arms against the Government of Myanmar (Burma). In this context, PSLF claimed to fight for the freedom from oppression for the Palaung (or Da Ta-ang) people, and for the creation of a separate Palaung state within a genuine Myanma federation. PSLF also claimed that it was opposed to “supernationalism”, and that it sought an end to Myanmar’s military regime.
PSLF was formed on 12 January 1992 as a splinter faction from PSLA (Palaung State Liberation Army); it was however not until 2013 that the group’s armed activities reached the 25 battle-related deaths threshold. The PSLF had its roots in a Palaung movement dating back to the non-armed Palaung Nationalities United League, which was formed in 1946 and abolished by the military regime in 1962. Furthermore, the Palaung National Force (PNF) formed on 12 January 1963, and fought against the Government of Myanmar (Burma) as part of the Shan State Army (SSA) until 1966. In 1976, PNF was reformed into the Palaung State Liberation Army (PSLA). The PSLF was created by a splinter faction within PSLA that refused to accept a ceasefire signed with the Myanma government in April 1991. Mai Tin Moung and Mai Aik Phone led the PSLF.
The group maintained an armed wing called the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), which included 1500-4000 fighters divided between three “brigades” in 2013 and 2014; other estimations put the group’s total strength at around 6000. PSLF was mainly active in the northern parts of Myanmar’s Shan state, and in areas near the Thai-Myanma border.
Since 2016, the PSLF has been part of the “Northern Alliance”, a tactical cooperation arrangement, together with KIO, MNDAA, and the Arakan Army (AA).
