The New Democratic Army – Kachin (Burmese: ကချင်ဒီမိုကရေစီသစ် တပ်မတော်; abbreviated NDA-K), officially known as the Kachin Border Guard Force, is an armed insurgent group that operates in Kachin State, Myanmar. After signing a ceasefire agreement with the military of Myanmar in 1989, it was subsequently converted into a pro-Tatmadaw militia, eventually officially being converted into a Border Guard Force in November 2009.[1][3][4]
The NDA-K was founded in 1989 by former Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) officers Zahkung Ting Ying (a.k.a. S'Khon Tein Yein), Layawk Zelum, and Ying Zelum, when they led a communist faction of 700 soldiers that split from the KIO due to its political differences.[1][2] 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".[1]
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.[1] 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.[3]
A Rawang leader Lauban Tanggu Dang (Ah Dang; Burmese: တန်ဂူးတန်) established the Rebellion Resistance Force from the NDA-K group.[5]
Zahkung Ting Ying is a Ngochang from the Yunnan Frontier.[citation needed] In 1968, he split from Kachin Independence Army and joined the Communist Party of Burma and established the CPB's 101 War Zone with Zaluman, another KIA defector.[6][7] In 2016, he was expelled from the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw for violating election laws while campaigning.[8]
Illegal rare earth mining has surged in NDA-K held areas bordering China following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.[9][10] In April 2021, 100 rare earth mines were found in the area controlled by the militia.[11] As the Chinese government cracked down on domestic rare earth mining, it has outsourced the destructive mining to Kachin State.[12] As of March 2022[update], 2,700 mining collection pools scattered across 300 separate locations were found in Kachin State, encompassing the area of Singapore, and an exponential increase from 2016.[12] Zakhung Ting Ying and other militia leaders have profited from this extractive industry.[12] In December 2021, US$200 million in rare earths were exported to China.[12]