Headquarters Pangwa, Kachin State | Strength 200–300; 700 (peak) | |
Active 1989 (1989)–November 2009 (2009-11) Ideology Kachin nationalism
Communism Leaders Zahkung Ting Ying
Layawk Zelum
Ying Zelum Area of operations Kachin State, Myanmar
Myanmar-China border | ||
The New Democratic Army - Kachin (Burmese: ကချင်ဒီမိုကရေစီသစ် တပ်မတော်; abbreviated NDA-K) was an armed insurgent group that operated from 1989 until its conversion into a "border guard force" in November 2009.
History
The NDA-K was founded by in 1989 by former Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) officers Zahkung Tingying, Layawk Zelum, and Ying Zelum; when they led a communist faction of 700 soldiers that split from the KIO due to its political differences. In the same year, the group agreed to a ceasefire with the government, and it de facto operated under the Tatmadaw's command as a "special regional task force".
The group received a budget, rations, and supplies from the government. Additionally, 600 soldiers were paid by the government as part of the Myanmar Police Force. In November 2009, the group became one of the first insurgent groups under a ceasefire agreement to convert into a "border guard force". Some members have since joined the Kachin State Progressive Party (KSPP) to contest in the 2010 general election.