Monday, May 9, 2016

Shan Herald Agency for News

Shan Herald Agency for News

Namkham residents blame TNLA for burned homes

Posted: 09 May 2016 06:45 AM PDT

A coalition of nine groups in Namkham Township on Sunday put out a statement condemning the Ta'ang National Liberation Army/Palaung State Liberation Front (TNLA/PSLF), who they hold responsible for deliberately burning homes last week in a village in northern Shan State.
Photo by a citizen journalist shows villagers homes
burned down in Hopang Village, in the Wongwee
region of Namkham Township.
The strongly worded statement claimed that TNLA troops, who in recent have taken part in a series of clashes in the area with the Restoration Council Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA), entered Hopang village on May 6th and started fires that led to the leveling of many homes.
On May 7th, the TNLA released a statement denying that they were responsible for the fires in Hopang village. The group instead suggested that heavy weapons fired in the vicinity of Hopang village could have triggered the fires or that they could have been lit by another armed group.
A resident of Namkham Township who claims to have witnessed the incident contradicted the TNLA's denial. "The fighting between the two groups began on May 1st and lasted until May 5th. The next day, the TNLA troops entered the village and burnt down houses," this individual claimed. "They also killed villagers' animals and took their property," added the eyewitness.
This individual also claimed that some of the TNLA soldiers spoke Kachin.
According to local aid workers, 62 homes were burnt down in Hopang village causing more than 300 people to flee the village. These displaced villagers are now staying in the Wongwee sub-township of Namkham.
The joint statement was issued by representatives of several groups based in Namkham. The groups that signed on were the Shan Sangha Youth, Campaign for Unity Preservation (UP), the People of Namkham, Shan National Democratic Party (SNDP), Shan Literature and Cultural Association, the Farmer's Association, Tai Youth, Shan Women's Organization and the Committee of the Quarters and Villages of Namkham.
The joint statement called on the TNLA to take responsibility for the fires and help rebuild the houses of civilians who lost their homes and compensate them for the damage
"If the demands and compensation are not implemented, the PSLF/TNLA will be announced widely as a 'Terrorist organization in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar,'" the statement claimed.
One of the signatories to the statement, Sai Lurn Myat, the Chairman of the Campaign for Unity Preservation (UP) told SHAN that the reason they sent the letter to the TNLA is that he and his fellow signatories don't want this kind of thing to be repeated.
"We don't want problems like this to happen to Shan people in Hopang Village but also to every ethnic group across Burma," he said.
Fighting between the TNLA and the RCSS/SSA in northern Shan State began late last year. While the TNLA stands accused of burning Shan villagers homes, the TNLA has in turn accused the RCSS/SSA forces of entering their territory and violating the rights of Palaung villagers. In a statement sent out on May 2nd the TNLA accused the RCSS/SSA of extorting money from Palaung villagers, confiscating property and farm animals and setting up check points to restrict villagers travel.
The letter denouncing the TNLA was sent to a number of government and military officials. Included on the long list of recipients were Burma's new president, the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, the Minister of Ethnic Affairs, the Chief Minister of Shan State, the Command Commander of the Northern battalion in Lashio, Division Commander (33) Army Division of Namkham, the Chairman of the District Council of Muse District, the Police Chief of Muse District, the Chairman of the Town Council of Namkham, Police Chief of Namkhm, the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA), the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA), the Sengkaew's People's Militias and the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC).
BY SAI AW / Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)

To Hopeland and Back (The 19th trip): The long wait

Posted: 08 May 2016 11:12 PM PDT

From 4-8 May 2016,  I was back in Burma, the land I have called Hopeland, though nobody else have. Perhaps few cherish little or no hope for the country. Or maybe they've already decided peace and democracy is a foregone conclusion.
This time the main reason was to attend a seminar, titled Peace Architecture: Comparative Approaches and Options for Myanmar.
As usual, my intention was to try to make the most of the opportunity by meeting as many friends I can so I could pick up their brains to share with readers, for whom the welfare of this battered land is in their interest.
Day One. Wednesday, 4 May 2016
Those who realize that
One day, we all must die settle their quarrels.
The Dhammapada, Verse-6
My initial plan is to meet long-time-no see friends to talk about old, as well as present, days, after checking in at Inya Lake, where the seminar is to take place tomorrow.
Dr Tin Myo Win
But while waiting to board the plane, I receive a call from Sao Yawd Serk, Chairman of the Restoration Council of Shan State/ Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) asking me whether I could attend a meeting between the signatory EAOs and Dr Tin Myo Win, who's being tipped as deputy for the peace mission to be formed by the newly appointed State Counselor (SC). I could, I reply.
The long and short of it is I'm at the Green Hill Hotel, where he is due to arrive, just before 14:00, one and a half hours after the plane from Chiangmai landed at Mingladon.
Dr Tin Myo Win is with us for an hour, and the meeting goes something like this:
TMW   I'm afraid I don't carry any mandate. And I know only half of what's happening. (Someone tells me later that it is his standard opening statement.)
Padoh Kwe Htoo Win: That's all right as long as you're ready to share what you think will be appropriate for us.
A letter has been prepared for the SC to be taken to her by Dr Tin Myo Win. Dr Lian Hmung Sakhong explains to him the contents, some of the important points of which are:
  • According to Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) Article 21, supreme authority has been vested in the Joint Implementation Coordination Meeting (JICM). The Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee (JMC) and the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC) were formed by it. We would therefore propose that the first meeting should be that of the JICM.
  • The 21st century Panglong Conference, as stated by the SC (on 27 April), to our understanding, is the continuation of the Union Peace Conference (UPC), the first of which was held in January
  • It is necessary to honor not only the NCA (which is multi-lateral) but bilateral agreements that were signed earlier
  • We implore the SC to publicly encourage the signatory EAOs and the non-signatory EAOs to work together for a common purpose with her government
Hkun Okker     Just in case you are concerned about the Unlawful Associations Act (which prohibits association with unlawful organizations), I recall your predecessor U Aung Min carrying a Presidential order authorizing him to meet everyone he wanted. The same thing can be done under the new government.
N.B.     Most of the non-signatories were delisted during the 1989-2009 period: UWSA, NDAA MNDAA, SSPP/SSA, KIO/KIA, MNSP and KNPP. There has been no official announcement whether or not they have been re-listed as unlawful organizations.
Dr TMW          According to Buddhist belief, everyone who is endowed with 4 Adhipatidhammas, is bound to win in every task he/she undertakes. I plan to follow the teaching.
N.B      The 4 are Chanda: will power, Citta: mind, Viriya: effort, and Vimangsa: wisdom, according to Patthana Dhamma.
Yebaw Myo Win          We would also like to know more about the planned meeting for 10 May. Agenda, status (formal, or informal) and who's going to be invited.
TMW   This, I haven't learned the details yet, which is being worked out by the SC office. I will meet her tomorrow evening to inform her about this.
The envelope containing the letter is handed over to him by Padoh Kwe Htoo Win.
My next meeting is with friends, who, for their sake, will not be identified here.
They tell me they are worried about growing tensions between U Shwe Mann and the military, which has the potential to push the peace process into an insignificant corner.
"U Shwe Mann's Facebook article last week praising the NLD while playing down the achievements of the previous governments evoked angry responses from the military," says one, showing me an unofficial translation of Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing's speech on Monday, 2 May.
He reads out the following paragraph:
Take a look at the world political stages. Some political parties and their government can assume 2-3 and 4 consecutive terms, white some others have to step down before their first term comes to an end.
 "This appears to be very ominous to me," he comments. "Sounds rather like a warning, doesn't it?"
I have no answer for this. But I do remember what one of the foreign academics said a few days earlier:
"The circumstances have changed since the Cold War ended. Then the Burmese military was fighting against Communists backed by China. So there was little or no condemnation. Today, things are different."
 I also remember what U Ye Htut, the ex-information minister, said at the Economist Myanmar Summit, 15 May 2015:
The constitution is designed to create a political space where political parties, ethnic forces and the military can work together and build trust among them. A mechanism was also devised there to prevent chaos. The military also wants to remain part of the solution.
 Or words to that effect.
 At the end of the day, I must admit I don't have an answer for their question: Is there going to be a coup or not?

RCSS, KNU leaders meet to discuss proposed new Panglong Conference

Posted: 08 May 2016 08:25 PM PDT

The leadership of the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) and the Karen National Union (KNU) met in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai for a three day conference that began on April 30th.
During the conference the representatives of the two groups discussed the proposal recently put forward by the National League for Democracy (NLD) leader and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to hold a '21st Century Panglong Conference'.
The Panglong Agreement was reached in February 1947, following a meeting between Aung San Suu Kyi's father General Aung San and representatives from the Shan, Chin and Kachin communities. The agreement is named after the southern Shan town of Panglong where the meeting was held.
On paper the agreement 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.
RCSS adviser Khuensai, says that the two armed groups used the conference as an opportunity to share ideas for the Panglong conference. "These two groups have been allies since 1996. They always hold meeting. During the recent meeting, they discussed giving a class on federalism. The leaders of both groups are the leader and deputy leader of the Ethnic Armed Organizations Peace Process Steering Team (EAO PPST). They haven't met since they were elected in March so they held the meeting. The main [objective] was to discuss and set down a program for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's invitation to hold the '21st Century Panglong Conference'," Khun Sai explained.
The RCSS Chairman Lt-Gen Yawd Serk and his counterpart from the KNU, Gen Mutu Say Poe, were recently elected to lead the EAO-PPST at the Second EAO Summit which was held among signatories of the nationwide ceasefire agreement on March 24th.
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