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| Posted: 06 Aug 2014 02:27 AM PDT Review Uprooting Insurgency General Staff College The document, which was among others that fell into the hands of the Shan State Army (SSA) two years earlier, gives the reader a fresh look at the 69 years old armed forces of Burma that calls itself the Tatmadaw. It is 50 pages thick with, 4 chapters sub-divided into 147 sections. The year of its publication is not mentioned. But, reading through it, it appears to have been written after 1998 (when the Shan United Revolutionary Army became the SSA South) and before 2009 (when the 17 armed organizations had concluded ceasefire with the military government). It notes that there were only three armed groups to be reckoned with, namely: Karen National Union (KNU), Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) and the SURA aka SSA South. Chapter 1 is "Knowing insurgency." It delves into the histories of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) whose members are "allowed to live in Yunnan opposite Muse with the promise not to engage in politics" and the Kachin Independence Organization/Kachin Independence Army (KIO/KIA) that had "at present established peace with the government." Chapter 2 "Combating insurgency" talks about counter-insurgency experiences of Algeria Malaya, Kenya and Sri Lanka "which is still far from peaceful today." Operations against insurgency, it counsels, include:
Chapter 3 is "Counter-insurgency doctrines" that devotes one and a half pages to the employment of People's Militia strategy, which has been developed since 1964. "It must not be formed only during emergencies but must be organized and trained to be ready at all times for the defense of the nation." During peace time, the People's Militia Forces (PMFs) will be engaged in state building, local security and combating "internal armed destructionists." Chapter 4 "What should be done" includes, among others, the "Four Cuts" tactics, which many Burma watchers, including the reviewer here, have mistakenly taken as cutting food, funds, intelligence and recruits. However, the booklet is unambiguous about it. It says in Section 123:
"That" means "kill" and "phyat" means "cut" but "That-phyat" together means "kill."  Apart from that there are several pages on 100 do's and don'ts in dealing with insurgency, such as # 63. "one must refrain from aims and actions that can be construed as narrow racism" and # 64- Such offenses must be promptly taken action against and must be informed to the populace. After reading it, one thing does occur to me: Isn't it about time the Burmese government considers changing its Burmese rendering of the English word "Insurgent"? If the current peace process is for real? In English, "insurgent" which, the dictionary says, comes from the Latin word "insurgere" (rise), meaning a person fighting a government of their own country. In the past, such a person was known as "Tha-bon" (which happens to sound like "The bone"), conveying a neutral sense. But the Burma Army's rendering "Thaung Gyan Thu" means "one who is on a rampage "or "one who has gone berserk," which may not go well with the peace process that President Thein Sein has initiated. I remember one of my friends who is a member of a Shan group that had made its peace with Naypyitaw. (Hint: He used to be one of the famous fighters) One Burmese general reportedly asked him, "How could such a gentle and decent fellow like you become a thaung gyan thu?" And he replied, "It was the Burma Army that did it. They killed our people, burned our homes and raped our women. They jailed my father and they were hot on my heels. What would you do in my place?" So, after all is said and done, who's the real thaung gyan thu? |
| A journey through the heart of Indochina Posted: 06 Aug 2014 02:26 AM PDT Photo Exhibition Alliance Francaise Chiang Rai Presents "Mysterious Mekong:" A journey through the heart of Indochina By Reinhard Hohler, Chiang Mai/Thailand August 29 – September 4, 2014  The unique collection of photos is featuring the Mekong River, the longest river in Southeast Asia, which is more and more threatened by the building of dams and industrial development schemes. Through his photographs, Reinhard Hohler attempts to give the visitor an in-depth perspective on the different geographical, historical and economic aspects of the Mekong River, which runs through the heart of Indo-China. The river should be protected accordingly. The 72 photographs highlight the landscapes and scenery seen during an expedition in November 2002, which started in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan/China, passing through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia, before ending in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. The exhibition includes photos marking the group's visit to the gravesite of the famous French explorer Henri Mouhot in Luang Prabang, the transfer of the group's hovercraft around the scenic Khone Falls on the Lao-Cambodia border, as well as a side trip to the ruins of Angkor in Cambodia and Oc Eo in Viet Nam. When the expedition had finally arrived in the Mekong Delta of Viet Nam, there was the first continuous navigation of the Mekong River successfully completed. Reinhard Hohler, 63, is an experienced tour director and media travel consultant on the Greater Mekong Sub-region. He was born in Karlsruhe/Germany, a port on Europe's Rhine River. After studying geology in his hometown and ethnology, geography and political science at Heidelberg University, Reinhard Hohler moved to Thailand and lives in Chiang Mai since 1987. Venue: Central Plaza in Chiang Rai, Northern Thailand For further information, please contact Mr. Guy Heidelberger by e-mail: chiangrai@alliance-francaise.or.th |
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