Shan Herald Agency for News |
- Learning to share: Back to Panglong
- 7 civilians captured by unknown group in Northern Shan State
- KIO, RCSS and SSPP leaders meet to discuss upcoming Panglong meeting
- Learning to share: Back to Panglong
- No compensation for villagers affected by Muse highway
| Learning to share: Back to Panglong Posted: 10 Jun 2016 04:29 AM PDT  Day Two. Wednesday, 8 June 2016 History happens twice Because people don't listen at the first time. Russian History Quotes, quateaddicts.com The first part of the day is spent in reviewing the Panglong Handbook that was drafted yesterday. The draft contains the following headings:
"Whether or not one participates in the upcoming 21st Century Panglong, the message must be the same," says a participant. Another speaks of the need for the voice of the public. The draft is provisionally approved at noon just before lunch, pending input and endorsement by CNF. The next step is to present it to the planned Pre 21 CPC. The procedure is not unusual historically speaking. On 6-7 February 1947, the Chin, Kachin and Shan leaders met and reached agreement on what to present to Aung San, the head of the Executive Council of Burma Government, who arrived at Panglong on the next day. The KIO reiterates the desire to meet the State Counselor to clear up some crucial questions before planning ahead. "We keep hearing conflicting answers," says one. "The confusion has been compounded by a statement from a leading member of the 21st Century Panglong Conference Preparatory Committee (21 CPCPC) delegation saying, 'If you're coming (to Naypyitaw), don't expect to go back. Conversely, if you're expecting to go back, please don't come.' We still are unable to decide whether he was serious about it or was just trying to be funny." (I inquired, and the 21 CPCPC secretary U Hla Maung Shwe replied laughingly he hoped the ethnic leaders didn't take it seriously, as the statement was made not at the meeting, but during the dinner party which was held later in the evening.) The day ends with a stirring speech from N'Banla. Here are the excerpts:
The word Panglong therefore carries a truly profound meaning
It isn't a surprise he gets a roaring applause from his audience. So what's next? Whatever it is, you bet I'm going to report to you. | ||
| 7 civilians captured by unknown group in Northern Shan State Posted: 10 Jun 2016 12:02 AM PDT At least seven people were detained by an unknown group while travelling on the Namkham to Mandalay highway last Sunday, according to a representative from the Shan National League for Democracy (SNLD).  Sai Yee Phoo, the Vice Chairman of the SNLD in Namkham Township, told SHAN that those missing are local people who were travelling in an area that has been the site of the conflict between the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA). "At the moment, there are at least seven people who have been arrested," he said. "And no one knows where they are now." On June 5, Sai Yee Seng Muang, the driver of the car, was carrying six passengers from Namkham to Lashio. They all disappeared on the way, according to a cousin of Sai Yee Seng Muang. The cousin said that local police officials have been informed of the situation. He went on to say that other drivers who passed by on the road claimed that the TNLA troops had blocked the road and stopped every car that was passing by their checkpoint. "They (the TNLA troops) blocked the road with the trees near Pa Leng village in Nam Pak Kar sub-township," he explained. Sai Yee Phoo called for everyone traveling in the area to be very careful because the fighting has continued. "A few days ago, two Ta'ang villagers were killed," he said. "Right now, Shan people are being arrested. When there is fighting, the victims are the local people, not the armed groups." The conflict between two groups, which started in November 2015, has caused thousands of people to flee their homes. Both sides have continued to blame one another for causing the clashes. There have been attempts to get the two groups to sit down for negotiations however this has yet to happen. | ||
| KIO, RCSS and SSPP leaders meet to discuss upcoming Panglong meeting Posted: 09 Jun 2016 11:57 PM PDT Senior representatives from the Kachin Independence Organizatoin (KIO), the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) and the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) met in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai this past week to hold consultations to discuss Aung San Suu Kyi's proposed follow-up to the historic Panglong conference.  The meeting which took place from June 7th to 8th, was held mainly to discuss issues relating to the Panglong Agreement in 1947 and the proposed follow-up meeting that is set to take place next month, said Colonel Sai Hla, a spokesperson with the RCSS/SSA. The meeting was attended by Lieutenant General Yawd Serk Chairman of the RCSS, General N'Ban La Vice Chairman of the KIO as well as Sao Sai Htoo of the SSPP. "As Kachin State, Shan State and Chin State that have joined the agreement in 1947, we should have a meeting before the 21st Century Panglong Conference takes place," Col. Sai Hla said. "When we talk about this coming conference, we have to look at the 1947 Panglong Agreement," explained Col. Sai Hla. He added that in order to bring peace to the country, he believes that all groups should work together. The special convention which is expected to be held some time in July is being convened by Burma's State Counsellor and National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi. This will be a follow-up to a meeting convened by her father in 1947 that was attended by representatives from the Shan, Chin and Kachin communities. The agreement reached at Panglong in 1947, stipulated a significant level of autonomy for Burma's ethnic groups in exchange for their decision to support Aung San's bid for independence from Britain. Aung San, was assassinated just months after the agreement was reached, his successor U Nu, did little to implement the agreement before he was overthrown by General Ne Win in 1962. The subsequent military regimes that ruled Burma also disregarded the commitments made by General Aung San at Panglong. On June 3, Dr Tin Myo Win, who is the chair of the 21st Century Panglong Conference Preparatory Committee (21 CPCPC), met with the Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) from the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) in Chiang Mai to discuss the progress of ongoing negotiations between the government, the military and ethnic armed organizations. The UNFC, an organization comprising of non-state ethnic armed groups who did not sign last year's Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with Thein Sein's government includes both the KIO and SSPP/SSA. | ||
| Learning to share: Back to Panglong Posted: 10 Jun 2016 03:01 AM PDT
On 7-8 June 2016, three ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) — Kachin Independence Organization/Army (KIO/KIA), Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA), and Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) — met in Chiangmai. The other EAO that was invited but wasn't able to make it due to the fact that it coincided with its own long planned meeting was the Chin National Front (CNF). The purpose of the meeting was to review the 1947 Panglong Conference and what it meant for the non-Burmans as a whole, before joining the Union Peace Conference (21st Century Panglong) sometime in August, as planned by Naypyitaw. Putting it another way, it was a meeting "to look back before moving ahead." Burma, Chin, Kachin and Shan were co-signatories to the Panglong Agreement (12 February 1947) that led to the formation of the Union of Burma, now restyled the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (RUM). Day One. Tuesday, 7 June 2016 The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future. Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) The meeting begins with a friendly banter from Dr Laja: "The Chins were late during the 1947 Panglong. They are doing that again now." The first topic on the agenda is to explore the reasons why non-Burmans need to return to the original Panglong before embarking on the 21st Century one. The following is the summing up of their discussions:
How Panglong came into being That is the next topic on the agenda, and the following are their conclusions:
Panglong Agreement The 9 article Panglong Agreement, to summarize, contains 5 key points:
Panglong promises Other than the agreement, Aung San had also agreed, during the conference, to a 5 point demand by the Chin-Kachin-Shan committee that had formed the first non-Burman alliance in modern history — the Supreme Council of the United Hill Peoples (SCOUHP):
The meeting takes note that the right to secession, which was later enacted by the 1947 constitution, has been a constant specter over successive Burmese governments. "The rights come first," says a participant."If the rights were honored, there should be no fear of secession, whether or not it's in the constitution." The meaning of "Bamar One Kyat, Shan/Kachin One Kyat", as promised by Aung San, is also discussed. Tun Myint Taunggyi had explained in his 1957 "Shanland's Grievances": According to the 1952-53 Fiscal Year statistics: Population Expense per capita Expense per capita (by percentage) Burma Proper 14.7 million 15.63 Kyat 1 Kyat Shan State 1.6 million 7.55 Kyat 0.48 Kyat Which clearly demonstrates that even in the 14 year democratic days, it was "Bamar one Kyat, Shan half a Kyat" in practice. The Panglong Spirit The following is the interpretation as agreed by the meeting: The Panglong Spirit means the deep wish to abide by and fulfill the Panglong Agreement and the mutual promises solemnly made between Gen Aung San and the ethnic leaders. "One who has the spirit will not go back on one's promises. And one who keeps one's promises will honor the Agreement," remarks Gen Yawdserk. Hail to the 21st Century Panglong The afternoon session begins with a statement by Gen N Banla, leader of the KIO, saying:
Another leader speaks of lingering questions for the State Counselor, who first coined the "21st Century Panglong:"
One other leader,, who is better versed in legal matters, speaks about whether the Panglong Agreement is a "voidable contract," meaning one which can be made null and void by a party if the said party so chooses. Unfortunately, there isn't anyone else in the meeting who can answer this. But everyone agrees it is a matter to be pursued further. The meeting adjourns with a decision to draft a "Panglong Handbook" to be consulted by all those concerned with peace in Burma. | ||
| No compensation for villagers affected by Muse highway Posted: 09 Jun 2016 08:11 AM PDT Residents in northern Shan State's Muse Township have complained that they did not receive compensation for damage their homes and shops have incurred as a result of the expansion of the Mandalay to Muse highway.  The highway expansion project was headed by the Oriental Highway Company, a former subsidiary of the Asia World Group. The project undertaken by the firm expanded the road from two to four lanes. The company was granted permission to expand the road during the Thein Sein administration by the Ministry of Construction. Local residents told SHAN that many houses were damaged by the construction. Every day hundreds of heavy trucks travel on the newly expanded highway which has created large cracks in the walls of homes located along the route and damaged their foundations. "My shop was damage because of the construction," said a resident in Muse Township who wished to be anonymous. "I have not heard anything about compensation." The expansion of the highway, an important trade link connecting Burma to China, has affected many households and will continue to do so, the villager told SHAN. This road is the main route for border trade between Burma and China. The highway is more than 280 miles (450 km) long and has 13 toll gates. Asia World, a firm founded by the late businessman Lo Hsing Han and his son Stephen Law (also known as Lo Ping Zhong and Tun Myint Naing) recently announced that it had divested itself of the Oriental Highway Company and several other subsidiaries. It remains unclear who now controls the Oriental Highway Company and the other firms offloaded by Asia World. BY Staff / Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN) |
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