Burma-Based Non State Actor Admit to Operating Helicopter
One of the most powerful non-state actors in the world has officially confirmed that they now have at least one helicopter in use. The United Wa State Army (UWSA) of Eastern Burma (also known as Myanmar) told the Irrawaddy newspaper that they now operate a small, four-seat model “for pleasure”.
The UWSA is the most powerful of the Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs) that exist as de facto independent states within the boundaries of Myanmar. The UWSA claim one region on the Myanmar-China border and another on the Myanmar-Thai border. A product of over seventy years of war, the EAOs have fought intermittently against the central government and one another to carve out their own areas of control.
With a force estimated to number over 30,000 regular soldiers and perhaps as many as 20,000 reserves, the Wa have a formidable reputation. Their mountain homeland, long history of headhunting their neighbours (which they assure the world, is now behind them) and position on the Sino-Burmese border means they have been able to develop a functioning, autonomous state, albeit an unrecognised one.
Their military is well equipped with indigenously manufactured small arms, RPGs, armored vehicles, MANPADS and even drones.
The UWSA have been able to carefully exploit their position by becoming a firm friend of the neighbouring Chinese, from whom they are able to source equipment, weapons and diplomatic protection. This has allowed them to stay in a ceasefire with the central government for the last twenty-six years.
They also use their location to control a lot of cross border traffic, including traditionally the heroin and the huge methamphetamine trade that is now the drug of choice across much of Asia. Though the UWSA deny being involved in this business anymore, their ability to lay out funds for as expensive a commodity as a helicopter demonstrates that the group has considerable financial resources available.
Though the exact model is unknown, the declaration is an interesting one from the UWSA. In 2013 Jane’s reported that the UWSA had taken delivery from China of several Mi-17 helicopters equipped with TY-90 air-to-air missiles, with speculation that these were intended to counter Burmese Mi-35 attack helicopters. The operation of these aircraft independently, would however, involve a large and skilled support base.
These reports were denied by the UWSA. But with tensions between the central government and a number of other EAOs mounting, as well as fighting already occurring in some areas with other ethnic groups, it is possible that the UWSA want to reaffirm their capabilities to the central government to dissuade any move against them.