Friday, December 9, 2016

Shan Herald Agency for News

Shan Herald Agency for News

Ethnic activists share views on ‘Terrorist’ vote

Posted: 09 Dec 2016 05:25 AM PST

On November 20, four of Burma's ethnic armed groups – the Arakan Army (AA), Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) – launched coordinated military offensives against Burma military outposts and police stations in the areas of Muse, Namkham and Kutkai in northern Shan State.


Clashes have now been continuous for more than two weeks in the China-Burma border region. Almost 20 lives have been lost in the fighting, including civilians, and more than 50 people have been injured. Thousands of locals have fled their homes to escape being caught in the crossfire; many have crossed the border and are currently sheltering on Chinese territory.  


Earlier this week, Aung Thu, an MP from the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), submitted a proposal to the Shan State government, declaring that the four militias, who now call themselves the "Northern Alliance," should be collectively classified as a terrorist organization. The motion was approved narrowly by a vote in the Taunggyi assembly on November 7.

But what are the effects of labeling the group "terrorists"? What are the likely consequences, and could it make matters worse for those living in the affected region? Shan Herald spoke to several local activists and asked their opinions.

"The Tatmadaw should also be labeled 'terrorists'," said Lway Cherry, joint general-secretary of the Palaung Women's Organization (PWO). "This is exactly what they have been doing to maintain power in the country since 1962. They have continuously launched offensives in ethnic territories; but here they are accusing and killing the ethnic people and the rebels. Ethnic women have been tortured and raped. Their houses and villages have been destroyed, causing villagers to flee their homes. This kind of action is what I call 'terrorist.'

"During the 1988 uprising, many students were tortured and killed by Burmese troops. A similar thing happened to Buddhist monks during the Saffron Revolution of 2007. That's why I regard the Burmese armed forces as terrorists. At the same time, any armed group that abuses civilians should be listed as a terrorist organization.

"Labeling ethnic groups as terrorists will not solve the problem. In order to bring about peace, every group should be included in the negotiations."

Moon Nay Li, the general-secretary of Kachin Women's Association Thailand (KWAT), echoed Lway Cherry's view that it is in fact Burma's government forces that should be labeled a 'terrorist group'.

"Burmese soldiers rape women wherever they go," she said. "They kill and torture ethnic people wherever they go. Innocent people including women, children and the elderly have been killed or forced to work as porters. Their properties have been looted; their houses burnt down. Even students in uniform were shot dead. All of these crimes were committed by Burmese troops, and never were they held to account.

"Now we have a period of peace-making. Each armed group must begin the process of trust-building by laying down their arms, and forcing the others to do likewise. And they must each show respect to ethnic people as per the terms of the Panglong agreement."

Ying Harn Fa, the spokesperson for the Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN), contends that any armed group that violates the country's laws should be classified as a terrorist organization.

"However, as to whether the Northern Alliance are terrorists, this matter has been discussed and rejected in the Union Parliament during a lower house session on 2 December. That's why it was brought up at a state level. As for us [SWAN], we objected to the proposal.

"Everyone knows we [Shan people] have been oppressed by the Burmese military for over 60 years. It is they who advanced into our territory, not the other way around. They destroyed our property; they killed and raped our people. The ethnic armed groups do not routinely abuse their own people. If they are considered 'terrorists,' then the Tatmadaw must also be terrorists.

"If we begin referring to each other as 'terrorists,' they will no peace in Burma. It will destroy the process of national reconciliation."

On the other hand, Khuensai, the managing director of the Pyidaungsu Institute for Peace and Dialogue (PI), told us that he believes there is no need for concern.

"The state government has no power to make laws regarding terrorism," he said. "Just as it has no authority over home affairs, foreign affairs and legislature. Therefore, even though the Shan State government approved a motion describing the four armed groups as terrorists, it will not be mandated by law.

"We have to ask those who raised this issue why they did it," he continued. "Perhaps the reason is to frighten civilians and other ethnic armed groups.
"Secondly, they can now push the Union Government to mandate the issue. A terrorism law was drafted in 2014 at a union level, but time will tell whether the decision made by the Shan state government will have an impact at a union level. We'll have to keep an eye on it.

"I want to say that, for now, the decision made at Shan State level is not law, so we do not need to be over-concerned."

Finally, Sai Lek, the spokesperson for the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), questioned how a proposal that had already been discussed at a union level could then be brought to state level for approval.

"This has never happened before," he said.

Commentary on " Still searching for peace"

Posted: 09 Dec 2016 02:16 AM PST

The two-pronged different approach in realizing the peace process is the main failure that reconciliation and political settlement have not been able to be achieved.

Aung San Suu Kyi strives for all-inclusivity, but hampered by Tatmadaw's non-inclusive policy and implementation on the ground. Suu Kyi has no say, whatsoever, in the military's sidelining of the MNDAA, TNLA and AA, as defense and border affairs are military's responsible ministries, besides having a veto say in the parliament for being allotted with 25% unelected MP seats.

In the end, Suu Kyi has to pretend that she agreed to the Tatmadaw's way of doing things. There is a saying in Burmese: "Chaw Lyae Yaw Htaing"; meaning: pretending to look like sitting down, when in fact he or she has fallen or accidentally slipped, so as to save face. There can't be other explanation for her behavior, other than that she becomes a victim of "Stockholm syndrome".

But if she chooses not to deviate from her original conviction of all-inclusiveness, the Tatmadaw is employing military pressure to goad the non-signatory EAOs like KIA to sign the NCA.

This has backfired as could be seen by the Northern Alliance fighting back, bring the war to the Tatmadaw and not waiting for its attacks.

The military now would need to change its mindset and conform to the political lead of the NLD regime – provided it refused to let the military hijacked its noble conformity to all-inclusiveness - and not the opposite, if the peace process is still to be saved or salvaged.

Link to the story : Still searching for peace

Tatmadaw's illusion of sovereignty ownership a catch-22 situation?

Posted: 08 Dec 2016 11:12 PM PST

Even though the union parliament has rejected the labeling the Northern Alliance – Burma (NA-B), made up of Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and Arakan Army (AA), that have launched an offensive on Tatmadaw or military and police outposts in Muse Township, northern Shan State along the Burma-China border, on 20 December, the Shan State parliament decided to do just that – tagging the NA-B members as terrorist organizations, on 7 December.

The NA-B launched an offensive on Tatmadaw's positons employing the strategy of "offensive is the best defensive", while also showing their displeasure of the military side-lining of its members to participate in the peace process, which the government seems unable to do anything against it.

As if it was a well orchestrated undertaking, simultaneously, Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing told the officers at the North-Eastern Military Command that the NA-B terrorist must be hunted down and uprooted that have challenged the Tatmadaw and disrupted public peace and economy.

The implication is that this actually could be seen as an assault on the whole peace process, which the National League for Democracy (NLD) government is trying to facilitate and lead, aiming to hold a Union Peace Conference - 21stCentury Panglong, in  February next year, in an all-inclusive atmosphere, as much as possible, according to its de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee's (UPDJC) Joint Secretary (1) Sai Kyaw Nyuntrecently told the DVB that since the KIA is a member of Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN), an organ of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), a seven member ethnic military alliance, actively involving in negotiation with the government, the peace process future could be in jeopardy and even been derailed.

Although proclaiming an organization a terrorist group is strictly within the domain of the President and the government and the Shan State Parliament affirmative motion to consider the NA-B members terrorist organizations wouldn't have much influence on government's policy-making and implementation. But it did showed the Tatmadaw's radical and animosity attitude on the NA-B. And this could be translated into an all-out  war, which has been ongoing since 2011, against most groups operating within Kachin and Shan States.

Daung Khar, a spokesperson for the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), on 8 December, told the BBC that the now damaged or destroyed peace process is due to the government-military's forceful goading and hammering in of the ethnic armies into their desired mode, to achieve result according to its prescription.

He further stressed that that this has resulted in an about-turn situation of the Burma's political situation, making the ethnic nationalities lose trust on the Tatmadaw,  Aung San Suu Kyi and the government.

The whole situation is like "the pot calling the kettle black", one Shan State Progress Party's (SSPP) leader told this writer, or better it is more of a catch-22 situation, if you like.

The pot calling the kettle black is simple enough, as the Tatmadaw with its decades-long well documented human rights violations in ethnic states by the reputed rights organizations and United Nations, which are still ongoing, to call the NA-B destroying public facilities and bringing hardships to the livelihood of the civilian, deserved to be called terrorists. Apart from that, no one is coming out much better off from the collateral damage done by warring parties, to be fair.

The catch-22 is a situation, which stems from straitjacket that the military has knitted for itself. It maintained that it wants peaceful co-existence and at the same time wants to be the sole protector of national sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity.

On the other hand, the NA-B including all ethnic resistance armies, plus ethnic political parties, are for the shared national sovereignty, territorial integrity and maintaining national unity, not just the sole ownership and domain of the Tatmadaw, or for that matter – the NLD government also.

But the problem is the Tatmadaw cannot accept the political aspirations of the non-Bamar ethnic nationalities and their just struggle for equal share on all the said norms or issues surrounding the country. So the Tatmadaw is convinced that it has to fight the ethnic armies, which contradict its own commitment of achieving an atmosphere of peaceful co-existence. Thus, the fight goes on and on, with no way to achieve a negotiated settlement, which only hinges on its ability to compromise. In other words, as equal negotiation partners and as well acceptance that shared-sovereignty is the key to fruitful peace process.

In sum, calling the ethnic armies terrorists and continue wearing the straitjacket of sole responsible protector of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and perpetuating national unity. Indulging in blame game, implementing total annihilation policy on the ethnic armies will just bring the country into a further mess and disintegration, where only rational sense and accommodation will pull the country out from the present down-slide into abyss of no return.
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