Ner Dah Mya / Karen News, December 23, 2013
January 2014 marks two years since the Karen National Union signed a temporary ceasefire agreement with Burma’s military, controlled government, and it is time now to reflect on what this agreement has so far achieved in real terms for the Karen people.
On the positive side our people can now travel more freely because the fighting has stopped. This means farmers can work their fields with less fear of the Burma Army attacking. Trade is taking place. People can visit each other and even different organizations can now meet.
But all this has come at a price the Karen people will have to pay.
The Thein Sein government has taken advantage of the last two years of peace to grant foreign investors the rights to exploit Karen soil by installing mines and other production facilities. This has caused large scale land grabbing and as a result Karen people lost their land and being displaced.
Karen people who are victims of land grabs and displacement are not offered adequate compensation for their losses and nor do they have the financial means to start a new life.
It is hard to swallow how the Thein Sein government speaks about peace while at the same time acting as pirates, plundering our people’s land and robbing them of their livelihoods.
The other big price the Karen people have had to pay, is watching the Burma Army consolidating and reinforcing its military positions outside their villages – the Burma Army is currently upgrading its camps, to modern concrete facilities. This is not an act of peace, nor does it build trust.
The Burma Army’s continued presence intimidates local people, this is not a surprise, after more than 60 years of oppression, 140,000 Karen refugees driven across the border and as many as 500, 000 displaced people in eastern Burma.
Our KNU leaders have meet with the Thein Sein government on several occasions since the temporary ceasefire was signed in 2012. Despite our leaders working hard to get some mutual understandings – the process has been painfully slow.
Our leaders have consistently requested a code-of-conduct be agreed to and put in place, but have been repeatedly told that the Burma Army is not yet ready.
Our leaders have raised political questions about the creation of a Federation and many general questions on democratic issues.
The Thein Sein government does not want to answer these questions and continue to fob of the KNU requests with, ‘address them to the parliament’.
The lack of response and enthusiasm from the government to issues that are important to the Karen people makes us wonder if our leaders are being treated fairly by the government – or if the government is just playing ‘dirty politics’ with the KNU.
Why is the government dragging its heels over the peace-talks? It has to be assumed the government already has got what it wants: 1. We stopped fighting them, 2. They now have unlimited access to exploit our natural resources and 3. They still regard us the KNU an inferior organization and the Karen people as their ‘ethnics’ – it is obvious that the government doesn’t think it needs to negotiate these issues with us.
It is made crystal clear when I go around and speak to Karen villagers that the time is running out for their understanding of what the peace talks are achieving.
People constantly ask me, “What does a temporary ceasefire actually mean? Is there suppose to be a time limit to something temporary?” And people ask, “Is it the government’s idea that Karen people shall work for the new industries on the land stolen from us as their cheap labor?”
And the most important question I hear from the Karen people is, “Why doesn’t anyone ask us what we want “?
It is vital that our leaders give the Karen people the opportunity to be involved in the peace process and the best way to achieve this is to create an open debate among our people to discuss the problems our leaders are being challenged with when negotiating with the Burma government.
At these public meetings it should be discussed what we as Karen people actually want for the future rather than what we don’t want.
We should be specific when we talk about a federation, what kind of federation are we going for? There are many examples of different types of federations throughout the world?
It is evident that many Karen people do not have a clear picture of what a federation means – widespread debate and education is needed for our people to clearly understand the issues.
It is important to include all Karen people in this public forum so we can form a true unity to enable us to decide on the future that we want.
It is time to involve the Karen people in the debate about our future – this cannot be delayed any longer.
If we don not get this process on track, I’m afraid the conflict will not be over.
The Karen people did not fight for 65 years, just to end up as cheap labor working for government and foreign economic developments that are no real benefit to them.
If the future shows us that economical imperialism is all we have got after so many years of struggle – then there is no other alternative, but for Karen to continue its fight for freedom.
General Ner Dah Mya is the head of the Karen National Defence Office and the son of the late General Bo Mya, who founded the Karen national Liberation Army and was its commander in-chief until 2000.
This article originally appeared on Karen News. View the original article here
The KNLA General Ner Dah Mya did really spoken out about Thein Sein’s quasi-civilian regimes so-called “Peace Building Process”.
Some ethnic resistance leaders have signed so-called “Ceasefire Agreements” in return for what? They have now the right to invest and start up business, some said to have received expensive presents cars and more.
In Shan State, Burmese Army has so far violente these “Ceasefire Agreements” U Aung Min had inked with both SSA-South and SSA-North in approx 300 times!
In Karen State, Burmese Army has sent in more of troops and weapons also constructed concrete fortifications, built new bases and Heli-pads.
During the Christmas Holiday in the Kachin State, Burmese Army did continues to attack the KIA, no respect for the agreements the Burmese regimes UPWC have with the KIO. Burmese regime know for sure that the Kachin people are Christian and therefore celebrate Christmas, thats why the regimes Genocide forces the Bama Tatmadaw launced a “Christmas-Offensive”.
It seems that the outside world swallowing all the propaganda-crap wich coming out from the Burmese regime’s capitol in Naypyitaw. Parts of the international community belive that it is peace and democracy in the Union of Burma. Therefore the international Business now invest and start up business operations, for to in the future receive big profits.
“Money does not smell” therefore the world do not care, when the Burmese regime contiunes with the grave and gross Crimes against Humanity with the War Crimes.
And that the Burmese Army continues with the Ethnic Cleansing Operations in Kachin State and northern Shan State.
I wish all the brave freedomfigthers in the KIA,TNLA and the other ethnic resistance armies who continue to resist the Burmese Genocide!