Monday, May 18, 2015

Shan Herald Agency for News

Shan Herald Agency for News

BURMA’S PRO-DEMOCRACY REBELS – STICK TO YOUR GUNS!

Posted: 18 May 2015 01:14 AM PDT

"Stick to your guns" is a well-known English saying. It means that you will not compromise. You will continue to demand what you both need and deserve, and not settle for less.

For Burma, the country's ethnic nationalities, who have suffered over fifty years of oppression at the hands of the Burman-dominated military dictatorship, need and deserve freedom and democracy. More immediately, they need relief from the dictatorship's attacks against them, including its widespread and systematic commission of a wide range of crimes against humanity.

The ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) that defend the people from the dictatorship recently concluded a six day conference, following which they released a statement about the situation in the country and their attempts to reach a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the regime. (A translation of this statement, prepared by Myanmar Peace Monitor, and included in the article Burma Ceasefire Agreement: One step forward, two steps back, by Mark Inkey in Asian Correspondent, May 08, 2015, is included at the end.)
The statement's most pressing demands are that the dictatorship stop its attacks, end its human rights abuses, and that the NCA include all the armed groups. Otherwise, how can it possibly be a "ceasefire," and "nationwide"?

Of note, these demands, either overt or implied, have been part of all the EAO position statements dating back to the beginning of the ceasefire negotiation. This includes at the UNFC's ethnic nationalities conference in August 2013; the Laiza meeting in November 2013; the Lawkeelar meeting in January 2014; and the UNFC statement in April 2015.
The ethnic nationality demands have never wavered. Similarly, the dictatorship's aggression and abuse has never ceased.

The EAOs will now meet again, to consider the draft NCA (to which the latest UNFC statement applied). Frankly, given the regime's intransigence, one wonders why they even bother. They have made their demands, and which are not only just: they are essential. The dictatorship must compromise, otherwise there is no reason even to talk.

The pro-democracy organizations for Burma's ethnic nationality peoples must stick to their guns. This means they should never back down, and also, quite literally, that they should not end their armed struggle. The revolution in Burma must continue until their demands – the legitimate aspirations of their people – are achieved.

BURMA ETHNIC ARMED ORGANIZATIONS STATEMENT
Pangsang Meeting, May 1-6, 2015
  1. We reject the use of force. Political problems have to be solved by political means.
    2. All ceasefire groups and non-ceasefire groups must have the right to sign the NCA.
    3. The fighting in Northern Shan State and Kachin State must stop because it causes distrust.
    4. Human rights violations in ethnic areas must stop.
    5. The constitution has to be amended to guarantee ethnic rights, self-determination and a federal union.
    6. We will not secede from the union
    7. Fighting in Northern Burma must stop and the U.N. and China must monitor the ceasefire.
    8. There must be all-inclusive political dialogue that includes the government, parliament, the army, political parties, EAOs and civil society organisations.
    9. We all live together in the union, so we should have mutual respect and help each other. We need to build unity between Burmese and non-Burmese.
    10. A group that includes representatives of all EAO groups should negotiate with the government and participate in political dialogue.
    11. Conference participants support the proposal for the formation of a Wa State.
    12. The United Wa State Party/Army will organise another EAO leaders conference at a convenient time.
DICTATOR WATCH
(www.dictatorwatch.org)
Contact: Roland Watson, roland@dictatorwatch.org
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http://www.dictatorwatch.org/prsticktoyourguns.html

How we can help the Wa

Posted: 18 May 2015 01:13 AM PDT

Once again, the United Wa State Party/Army (UWSP/UWSA) which is the de facto government of the Wa Self Administered Division (SAD), hosting the ethnic summit in Panghsang, 1-6 May, has called for a separate statehood, this time claiming the support of the majority of the 12 ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) present there.

250px-SAZs_&_SAD_of_Burma
No one appears to know how many, and which of the EAOs, have actually lent support, as the summit was just a series of speeches made by the participants and no exchange of views was involved.

U Ye Htut, the minister of information, responded to the call on 15 May, while attending the Economist Myanmar Summit in Rangoon, that the question has to be settled between the Shans and the Wa, as the Wa SAD is part of the Shan State.

Everyone knows of course that this was just a political buck-passing as the 2008 constitution drawn by the military has already outlined the process quite, but not perfectly, clearly:

img-150518032817-001
As said earlier, the procedure is quite clear. What isn't clear is that who decides there is "a cause to re-delineate the territorial boundary of a Region or a State", the Shans or Naypyitaw —or someone else.

On 30 January, I was asked pointblank during the lunch break in Mong La, by the Wa government's "foreign minister" Zhao Guo-an, what I thought about the Wa statehood aspirations.
My answer was:

"I'm not a representative of any organization. But personally I saw nothing wrong with your wish. It is natural for a member of a family to want to leave and set up a separate home. But to support it is something else: What do I get out of it in return?"

I meant what I said.

The Wa didn't lodge any complaint when the 1947 constitution combined the Federated Shan States and the un-federated Wa States to become Shan State of the Union of Burma. The reason was simple: The Shans then appeared to have everything a people could wish.

But now that the Shan State hasn't anything but a name, while the Wa have everything except the name, they want to leave without even saying if the Shans need any help, they have only to ask.

Of course, if what the Wa want is just a name and nothing else just like the Shans, the Wa can have not just one but a hundred Wa states, which means nothing under the present constitution.

However, if what the Wa want is their own government, own legislature and own army, apart from recognition, the only way to do it is helping the Shans, as well as others, to have them too. The Wa won't need to worry garnering support for its own aspirations then.

Logically, what we all should do is of course to hold discussions how we can help the Wa as well as satisfy the expectations of Burmans and other non-Burmans alike. The political dialogue that has been planned to be held before the general elections in November should be the place to do it.
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