Shan Herald Agency for News |
Former activist sees ‘the good, the bad and the cloudy’ in the peace process Posted: 27 Dec 2015 05:34 AM PST According to Aung Thu Nyein, former 8888 activist and exile, during a seminar in Bangkok last Monday, 21 December, a lot of good things have been taking place in Burma since the peace process began in 2011.
He said he had lately visited Southeastern Burma and witnessed significant changes:
But, on the other hand, old bad habits die hard and new ones are cropping up:
He also posed questions for several things taking place in the country which have puzzled Burma watchers and merely served to increase suspicions among its critics:
Meanwhile, he is not encouraged by the government waiting-in-line led by Aung San Suu Kyi. "Her first priority is the smooth transfer of power from the incumbent which may take some time," he said. "This means war won't be stopped too soon in the interim. At least for the present government, the peace process is still one of its top priorities." He concluded his presentation saying, "War won't go away by waiting for the government to do it. It will stop only when we all work together." Other speakers include:
The seminar, "To Stop Civil War," was organized by Thai Allied Committee with Desegrated Burma (TACDB) Foundation and held at the Student Christian Center (SCC) on Phayathai Road. One of the most well-known accusation against the military, repeated at the seminar was that it has been going "against international law" by using warplanes in the domestics conflict. SHAN has put this question to Hkun Okker, legal consultant for the EAO signatories. "I know this has been sort of a gospel to most of our people, both uninformed and even informed," he said. "But whether or not aerial warfare is legal rests entirely on humanitarian grounds and the question of sovereignty. For instance, the Burmese government, during the Kokang offensive, had used "in defense of national sovereignty and territorial integrity" to justify its employment of warplanes against Peng Jiasheng's force." According to en.m.wikipedia.org, there are no treaties specific to aerial warfare, unlike war on land and at sea. "To be legal, aerial operations must comply with the principles of humanitarian law: military necessity, distinction, and proportionality. An attack or action must be intended to help in the military defeat of the enemy; it must be an attack on a military objective, and the harm caused to civilian property must be proportional and not excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated." Famous examples where military planes were extensively used include the Spanish Civil War (1931-1939) and Chinese Civil War (1927-1950). |
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