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Burma Communist Party-Red Flag (BCP-RF)
Numbering only 500, this faction of the BCP inhabits the lower Irrawaddy delta, the Arakan hills, and the Katha District north of Mandalay. Trotskyite in persuasion, the BCP-RF split from the World War II united front in 1946. Losing much of its effectiveness after the capture of a key leader in 1970, BCP-RF engages in occa- sional acts of terrorism.
Kachin Independence Army (KIA)
The 4,000-man Kachin Independence Army occupies the Kachin State and part of the northern Shan State. Possessing a Christian, anti-Communist background, the KIA's purpose is to create an inde- pendent state for the 350,000 Kachin ethnics in the area. Trade in opium and jade provides the KIA with its principal revenue. Because its members spill over into the northern Shan States, the KIA is in conflict with the White Flag insurgents over control of the area. Karen National Unity Party (KNUP)
Believed to number between 750 and 1,500, the KNUP is located in the delta region of Burma. Because of its leftist separatist tendencies, the KNUP cooperates with the White Flag to a degree. However, there are frequently shifting alliances among individual units.
National United Liberation Front (NULF)
Estimated at 1,000, the NULF operates in both the Karen State and Tenasserim Division with training bases located along the Thai-Bur- mese border. The NULF represents a coalition of former Prime Min- ister U Nu's Parliamentary Democracy Party (PDP) and Mons and Karens whose objective is to restore U Nu who is now operating from Thailand to power. Increased activity by the NULF has caused a deteriorating security situation in Tenasserim.
Karen National Union (KNU)
Some 2,000 strong, the KNU is located in the Karen State and has small groups in the delta area and in the Pegu and Tenasserim Divi- sions of Burma. Consisting predominantly of Christian non-Commu- nists, the KNU includes defectors from the KNUP and other Karen groups such as the Karen National Defense Organization (KNDO) and the Karen National United Front (KNUF). The KNU is also allied with U Nu's National United Liberation Front (NULF). Shan State Independence Army (SSIA) and Shan State United
Revolutionary Army (SSURA)
Estimated to range from 2.000 to 2,500 in strength, these groups operate throughout the Shan State. As a movement, the Shan effort remains splintered and ineffective despite recurrent efforts at unifica- tion. However, the Shans have resisted Communist Party penetration attempts. Some groups among the Shans cooperate with the Burmese government as a People's Militia against the BCP insurgency. A major source of revenue for the Shans is the opium trade.
Mon Liberation Group (MLG) and New Mon State Party (NMSP) Each numbering around 1,000. the MLG and NMSP are located in the Tenasserim Division along the Thai-Burmese border. These are separatist groups representing a small ethnic minority. Some of their
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