"Several senior members have split from the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and formed a splinter group to fight Myanmar’s military regime. Calling itself the New Mon State Party (Anti-Dictatorship), the group is led by former NMSP secretary-general Nai Zeya, deputy commander-in-chief Brigadier-General Salun Htaw, and executive committee member and internal affairs department head Nai Banyar Lel. The breakaway group said they would join with anti-regime forces including the parallel National Unity Government. The breakaway came after the NMSP resolved at its 11th general meeting to continue abiding by the ceasefire deal it signed with Myanmar’s military in 2012. The NMSP signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in 2018. The party has maintained ties with the junta since the 2021 coup to avoid armed conflict and the resultant suffering for Mon people. However, the splinter group’s deputy leader, Nai Banyar Lel, said dialogue with the regime would not help to establish a federal union that ensured national equality and self-determination. NMSP and regime officials have held three rounds of talks since the coup amid deep disagreement over troop deployments, Nai Banyar Lel explained. “Integration with the regime means our troops must be under their command. They suggested that older members of our party should establish a political party and do business, while younger members could serve in the Myanmar military. So, I don’t believe we can achieve our aspirations by holding talks with the regime. My view is we will only be able to achieve our goal when the military dictatorship ceases to exist,” he said. The ceasefire had proven meaningless when the regime conducted air and artillery strikes on Mon villages while holding talks with the NMSP, he added. Nai Banyar Lel said his group would carry out military operations in areas where the NMSP is not active. Ethnic Mon scholar Dr. Pyinnar Mon, an Indiana University-educated doctor of political science and executive director of the Ethnic Nationalities Affairs Center, said the two groups still share a common goal of federal democracy. “One group wants to establish federalism by fighting, and the other wants to establish federalism via political dialogue. Their political objectives are the same, and they only need to avoid confrontation with each other,” he said. The regime has not yet responded to news of the Mon breakaway. The regime has been shunned by all Myanmar ethnic groups, including majority Bamars, as well as the international community, said Nai Banyar Lel. “This is the biggest popular revolt since independence. The Myanmar military is in chaos and faces a growing crisis. So, today is the best time to eliminate the military dictatorship,” he said. The Irrawaddy was unable to obtain comment from NMSP spokesman Nai Aung Mangay about the breakaway..."