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| To Hopeland and Back: 27th trip Posted: 09 Mar 2017 11:56 PM PST Day Three. Tuesday, 14 February 2017 Breakfast is served by Sai Hserh En (Small Tiger) who also works as a tourist guide. He says he's seen both Sao Harn and myself quite often in video clips. At 09:30, we are on our way again. About an hour later, we come to a Kachin village (called Kadu in Kachin and Tongbikwan in Chinese), where we have an early lunch.
At 13:00, we are across the border and installed at the Laiza Hotel. We are then informed that no meetings have been planned for today. Reasons: § Chairman Zawng Hra is away on medical leave § Military chief Gen Gam Shawng is also on an inspection trip along the border and is not expected to be back until after the meeting in Pangkham, planned 22-24 February § Generals N'Ban La and Gun Maw are also on their way to Laiza, and meetings with the KIO CEC and SMJH should wait for them The rest of the day is spent visiting two IDP camps: Je Yang and Hpun Lum Yam (Hot Springs). Out of more than 100,000 displaced by the fighting, some 40,000 are said to be staying inside KIO/KIA controlled areas and the rest inside Myanmar Army controlled area. The list of donors include Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC), Metta, Health Unlimited, UNHCR and WFP (24 July 2015-end of 2016). "The WFP wants us to move into government controlled areas so it can continue to help," one of the IDP camp administrators says. "But there is too much distrust of the government among the IDPs that persuading them to move there is out of the question." At 17:00, we have dinner with Gen N'Ban La and SMJH members. The meeting with SMJH will be tomorrow at 13:30. (To be continued) | ||
| To Hopeland and Back: 27th trip Posted: 09 Mar 2017 11:19 PM PST Day Two. Monday, 13 February 2017
The meeting with Mr Sun Guoxiang is at the World Trade Center (WTC). "I hope no airplane hits the building while we're talking," somebody quips as we enter it. The meeting lasts 3 hours. Here's the gist of what he says about China's policy on Burma: § Fighting does not benefit anyone. That's what I've been telling both the Northern Alliance and the government § At the same time, we respect Burma's sovereignty. We will never be the judge deciding who's right and who's wrong § We want every EAO in the peace process § We want everyone to sign the NCA § However we shall not force our will on anyone (to sign the NCA) § At the same time, it should not be forgotten that China was one of the witness signatories to the NCA (on 15 October 2015) § If the EAOs wish to hold meetings in China, we shall be happy to host them with prior approval from Naypyitaw We also learn from Saw Tamula, Gen Mutu's assistant, that the UWSA has replied it is pretty much preoccupied to spare time to meet us. We then pack our bags to fly to Mangshi and then by road to Laiza. But there is a flight delay again. (Gen N'Ban La explains to us later that Chinese fighters have been busy patrolling along the border since fighting broke out between the Burma Army and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) again late January. As a result, civilian planes have been warned to take extra caution to make sure the sky is clear before flying.) We are received by KIO officer Shan Long who treats us to a sumptuous dinner at a Shan restaurant. He tells us it'll be too late for us to cross the border and we will have to put up at Yinjiang, two hours drive away, for the night. We get into Yinjiang, known to Shans as Mongna Zanta, one of the 16 extinct Shan principalities in China. The hotel we stay, Bianchui, is also owned by a Shan. One of our friends, Sai Kham Htoon, who now lives in Bangkok, hails from here. |
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