Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Shan Herald Agency for News

Shan Herald Agency for News

To Hopeland and Back - Day 3

Posted: 26 Aug 2014 10:19 PM PDT

Day Three. Tuesday, 19 August 2014

The Pyidaungsu Institute (PI) for Peace and Dialogue, which I have been chosen to escort, is not, as some believe, an affiliate of the MPC. Neither is it serving under the UNFC or the NCCT. (The UNFC now has its own research establishment, Ethnic Nationalities Affairs Center (ENAC). In fact, it is not subordinate to any organization, even though it is funded by the Euro Burma  Office (EBO) headed by Harn Yawnghwe, who has earned both loyal friends and bitter enemies throughout his politically active 26 years career.


The PI therefore faces both advantages and disadvantages in carrying out its peace missions . On the positive side, we are considered an independent group, able to speak and write more freely than the MPC and probably the ENAC, which require sanctions from their leaders either to say or write anything.

But the positive side of the PI is also its Achilles' heel. The exercise of the its Freedom of Expression doesn't mean we can afford to be loose mouths, or else we may be defeating our own mission to become one of the common spaces.



Having said so, I would like to present what we have learned today from our friends and colleagues (please don't ask who) what were agreed and what were still under consideration:

The following points were said to have been adopted by the 15-17 August meeting between the NCCT and the UNFC:

·      Adoption of Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) as proposed by the NCCT, dropping Armed Ethnic Organizations (AEOs) as proposed by the UNWC
·      Adoption of the Burmese word pit khat tike khike phmu yat sey ye (literally cessation of shooting and attack) as proposed by the UPWC, though the English translation will continue to be "ceasefire"
·      Federalism
·      Not to exploit religion for political purposes instead of "secularism"
·      Armed forces for protecting the country against external dangers
·      "In accord with the law" instead of "in accord with existing laws"
·      To inform and instruct ceasefire within 24 hours (instead of 48 hours as proposed earlier) after the signing of the NCA and to clarify the text to/at all levels of the armed organizations including the Tatmadaw

·      To form the following committees-
1.     Military Code of Conduct Drafting Committee
2.     Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee
3.     Military Affairs Coordination Committee
4.     Union Peace Dialogue Committee ("Joint" and "Executive" were dropped)

  • ·      Forced land confiscation (dropping "by any justification")
  • ·      To treat the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) according them adequate human dignity (dropping "in accordance with internationally-accepted norms)
  • ·      National level consultations (dropping multinational level consultations)
  • ·      Confirming that EAO members and associates will be accorded a waiver from the notorious Section 17/1 on Unlawful Associations during the peace process
  • ·      Interim arrangements as proposed by the NCCT will be discussed separately
  • ·      Deletion of NCCT proposition on how the NCA may become void 

"There are fewer points to jointly consider," said a friend, "but whether they may take excessive time or not depends on both sides."
The sticky points, according to them, are
  • ·      Panglong spirit and Panglong promises (UPWC had rejected the latter saying it contains the right of secession)
  • ·      Recruitment (NCCT wants to add "Forced")
  • ·      Matters of adjoining areas
  • ·      The question of consensus or clear majority to pass resolutions
  • ·      Three parties (Government which includes army, political parties and EAOs) or 8 parties (Government, Parliament, Army, political parties, EAOs, CSOS, Business sector and academies) as proposed by UPWC
  • ·      Whether it is necessary to conduct a periodic review of the NCA as proposed by the NCCT
  • ·      Who and which parties are to sign the NCA (For instance NCCT wants Arakan Army that is fighting alongside the Kachin Independence Army to sign but the UWPC does not)
  • ·      Whether DDR (Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration) of the EAOs must come before or after political settlement (The President, according to the MPC, is in favor of after)
  • ·      Whether "in accord with the law" should be added to sensitive words like "federal union" (The President, again according to MPC, is in favor of  "in accord with the outcome of the national dialogue")

I think that's enough of my whistle blowing. Now let's get back what I do today. At 14:30 I fly to Heho (Haiwo in Shan ) to attend the Shan New Year preparatory meeting tomorrow.
As usual I pick up the in flight magazine ("Mai Hsoong", the equivalent of "Hello" and "Sawiadee") to see if there's anything interesting to read. There is, about the Aythaya Wine operated by a German Bert Morsebach in Taunggyi, which has been producing red wine (from Meikhtila) and white wine (from Shan State). He announces that sparkling wine better known as Champagne will on sale soon with a brand name "Shan Panya" meaning "Shan wisdom".

I hope I'm still alive to enjoy it by then.
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