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| To Hopeland and Back (X) - Day 2 Posted: 26 Aug 2014 04:07 AM PDT Day Two. Monday 18 August 2014. It takes us some time to get to MPC because the road is packed with cars big and small, old and new. All of them however possess one common feature: the number plates are all in English. No more are the Burmese characters and numerals. One might say Hopeland has cut ahead of Thailand at least in this respect. Because while motor vehicles in the kingdom have long adopted the Arabic figures, they still retain their Thai characters.  The meeting hall is already jammed with both the participants-observers and the media when we arrive just a few minutes ahead of 09:00, when the meeting is due to start. The seats and desks have been arranged in a triangle. The base, where there is a screen in the rear, is for the UPWC. (I don't see any military representatives there). On the left hand side are representatives from 34 parties out of 37 that were invited. (There are 67 registered parties in Hopeland). On the right hand side of the triangle are the NCCT members. The seat reserved for me is there near the apex, where the two moderators, Aung Naing Oo and Dr Kyaw Yin Hlaing, are already seated. Behind us are the technical advisers for the NCCT. All together, according to the self introductions there are about 75 attendees, including Vijay Nambiar, the UN Secretary General's special representative. The following is the gist of what takes place throughout the day: U Aung Min (opening speech) At first there were 122 points to be discussed. During the previous two meetings, we were able to reduce them to 31. Now after three days of working together (15-17 August), only 4-5 points remain.  U Aung Min Note The Irrawaddy reports later that the 5 points that need to be resolved are in the 5 chapters, namely, 2,3,5,6 and 7. It however doesn't say which points they are. It should be remembered that the 7 chapters of the draft Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) are:
Hkun Okker, another NCCT member, says what remains are mainly military matters. Nai Hong Sa This garden called Union will be ravishingly beautiful, if all varieties of flowers are allowed to bloom. We've been called Hsupu Thaunggyan Thu (Troublemakers), but I would like to point out that our basic rights were denied. And when we had demanded them in peace, we were brutally suppressed, leaving us not choice but to take up arms.  Nai Hong Sa Note The term "insurgent" is literally "Tha bon" (sounding much like "the bone") in Burmese. But officially it has been translated as Hsupu Thaunggyan Thu (troublemakers). U Thein Zaw Our next step will be for ratification of the NCA by the parliament.  U Thein Zaw S.Gun Maw Some have complained that it has taken so long for the NCA to be completed. But I would like to point out that three years are nothing compared to 5 years (and upwards) in other countries. One of the problems that have consistently dogged us is terminology. I have thought about how the Burmese language will fare after the peace process. Will it become more sophisticated or damaged?  S.Gun Maw After the opening speeches, the floor is given to the political parties. It should be noted that all of them, without exception, are supportive of the perceived success of the 3 days palaver ("The glimmers of peace have pierced though the darkness, "praised Sai Saw Aung, Vice Chairman of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy). Dr Tuja, Kachin State Democratic Party (KSDP) We fervently hope our happiness will not again turn to sadness. We don't mind if it takes time (to complete the NCA). What we are asking is there be no unnecessary delay. (U Khin Maung Swe, National Democratic Force, later seconds by saying, "there must be no shilly-shallying. The momentum must be kept up.") My proposition is that there be a tripartite political dialogue afterward. (He is supported by  Sai Ai PaO Other Issues discussed by parties include: land confiscation; assistance for migrants in Thailand returning to Burma, especially the "1.3" million Shans; resettlement and rehabilitation of people affected by war; local government; to invite Kayan New Land Party (KNLP) a group that has been at ceasefire status since 1994 and the ratification of the Law Protecting The Rights of The National Races ASAP, among others. The bombshell unexpectedly is dropped by a PaO leader, Hkun Soe Myint, chairman of the Union PaO National Organization (UPNO) who wakes up every sleepy attendee, including myself, by proposing that poppy cultivation be legalized if the zero- tolerance policy is to be implemented only half- heartedly, if all groups concerned are taxing the farmers and if no development projects are effectively carried out. Vijay Nambiar then reads out the UN Secretary General's message. (attached: see below) Nai Hong Sa We gratefully acknowledge the magnanimity of the UPWC for opening up doors for peace. We have now agreed upon the remedy for our malady. We will only need people who will courageously administer this remedy to cure our ills. UAung Min Since President Thein Sein took over, he has adopted a new culture: what is agreed upon, we will implement together. What is yet to be agreed, we will continue to discuss. At 16:00, the meeting ends. Four of the NCCT members, whose organizations are also members of the 12 armed movements alliance, United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), go to meet Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD). For myself, no time is given to decide whether I should return to my hotel or visit my relatives. Because I find myself being dragged away to a special room occupied by SkyNet for a talk show conducted by Zaganar. Others who are being invited there to participate are Sai Ai PaO, Dr Tuja and Dr Andrew Ngun Zung Lian (MPC). The session takes one and a half hour. And since I'm not taking any notes, I remember very little of most of what are being said by my friends. But I certainly won't forget when Dr Andrew says: Successful negotiations, as Mr Khuensai has noted, are based on relationship-orientation rather than deal-orientation. So I would strongly suggest that a stable foundation is laid down before the 2015 elections. By the time it is finished, it is already time for the dinner party hosted by U Aung Min at the MPC's mess hall, where I meet several old friends and new ones. Thus by the time I arrive at Summer Place, the hotel with the ground floor but no 4th floor, it is already 21:30, 22:00 by Thai count, well past my bed time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SG's Personal Message on Myanmar Peace Process UN Secretary General's message. I have followed closely the developments with respect to the peace process in Myanmar and my Special Adviser Vijay Nambiar has been keeping me informed of its progress. I fully share his faith in the commitment and determination that have guided the efforts of all the stakeholders in his process. The progress in negotiations during the past year and more has involved a wide variety of stakeholders. They have now come together to provide genuine grounds for optimism and hope of a decisive end to over six decades of conflict and for the launching of a new dialogue for national reconciliation. Today, you are on the threshold of a unique opportunity to negotiate a successful and sustainable nationwide ceasefire and start a political dialogue between the national government and the various ethnic armed groups for power sharing within a unified Myanmar. I recognize that this juncture has not been attained without difficulty. All sides have had to address challenges, make compromises as well as concessions. However, you have been able to show by your actions that you are animated by the larger object of reflecting the aspirations of the people you represent and not by any narrow or parochial political or economic agenda. By embracing a nationwide ceasefire and a political dialogue process, all sides will agree to put aside the legacy of mistrust and suspicion and embark on a new era of mutual confidence and cooperation between the diverse ethnic groups and communities of the nation and to work in a unified way for a common destiny for Myanmar. You will agree to work as one for the nation for its people. Such a prospect was unforeseeable even a few years back. It has required of a leap of faith on the part of many of your leaders. There will no doubt be many problems you will face in the future. There will also be differences you will have to resolve. But, every successful peace process reaches a point where those involved need to take such a leap of faith. I hope you have taken it today. At this critical juncture I would like to commend your leadership at all levels and to reiterate the strong support and commitment of the United Nations in taking forward your efforts for their fullest realization. I am also happy to convey may personal felicitation and support to your peace efforts. |
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