Five Burmese ethnic armed groups have said they will work together to achieve a ‘real Union’ in Burma where equal rights and self-determination exist for all ethnicities.
The alliance spans Burma’s ethnic border regions, taking in the Chin National Front in northernmost Burma to the Karen National Union (KNU) in the east, close to Thailand. It also includes the New Mon State Party (NMSP), the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) and the Karenni National Progressive Party.
James Landau, foreign affairs coordinator of the KIO, told DVB that the agreement “was just the beginning”, and the alliance would look to draw in other ethnic armies. He added that the aim “was not to attack the military junta; in fact we aim to draw the government to our side”.
The idea of the alliance was first tabled during the National Convention, which began in 1992 after the Burmese government refused to hand power to the winners of the 1990 election, the National League for Democracy party.
The National Convention was put on hold however and the formation of an alliance failed to materialise. But with the junta’s recent aggressive attempts at transforming ceasefire armies into Border Guard Forces and bringing them under the control of the Burmese army, the need for unity among these groups appears to be more acute.
The majority of the country’s 18 ceasefire groups have refused to transform and have been threatened with military action. The junta is looking to consolidate its support base prior to elections this year and gain greater control of Burma’s volatile ethnic regions.
A similar agreement in 1997 between a number of groups gained the support of imprisoned Burmese opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
MPs returned to Parliament in Burma’s capital Naypyidaw
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This is the right direction towards true unity and Federal Union without any blood shed. This is the right moment every ethnics group in burma will have the self determination of their own states and affairs. Without true spirits of Unity , we will never reach our goal.
All these groups are illegal, who threaten the security of the state of Burma.
They do not have any mandate from anyone to rebel against the state of Burma. The fact that the junta is not elected is irrelevant. However, the junta is legitimate because to defends the sovereignty of the state of Burma.
“A similar agreement in 1997 between a number of groups gained the support of imprisoned Burmese opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.” CONSLUSIVE evidence that she is a traitor and terrorist- all for the sake of her lust for power, not for the good of Burmese people. How can a balkanised Burma make progress, let alone gain democracy.
Think hard!
The word ‘Union’ is a misnomer and it must be dropped. it has the potential for disintegration of Burma. Burma was a unitary state (kingdom) for thousands of years.
My brothers and sisters of Burma, I also hope that Thitsaphout Than Shwe and his criminal associates will come on side with you, but I believe this will never happen as you know he cannot be trusted, he must never be trusted. Than Shwe has blood on his hands and for this he must be tried for human rights abuses. There is a law that if a dog tastes blood he must be put to death. Thitsaphout Than Shwe is that dog. The minute you make peace with this dog then he will start to kill your people again, how many more people must die before this traitor is put to death. A Karen man called Moo Gay cries out for justice, he as were thousands upon thousands of Burmese people have been murdered by this criminal Thitsaphout Than Shwe.
@Burmese People,
Please do not(never) use the word Burmese, just say and use Burman as you really are.
How do u know that DASSK is a traitor and terrorist??? Can u prove for that point??? Does she has any weapons like u??? Did she say any bad or untruthful words like u??? Did u spend any amounts of(own) money,not illegal(bribe) money as donation for the people of the country like Daw Suu did with her Noble Peace Price money $1.3 million for the people of Burma.Do u has any good histirical milestone to show publicly???
If ur a sincere person u should mention or use your real name,OK!!!
Hey you,
You give your name “Burmese People”? It is a shame for all burmese people! Please don’t write such unrealistic argumentation no more, as such discriminatory statements might aggregate more hatred towards the Burmese (Bama) by other nationalities in Burma. Please keep such wishful thinking in your mind not on the net.
Hi Burmese People,
You speak for what Than Shwe and his associates in Tatmadaw are thinking. Thank you for your insight thinking and we know what we should be doing.
To Burmese People,
How can anyone say all these ethnic groups are illegal on what ground?/ It is under occupation of Burmese regime which is nothing more than use of arms to control superficial Union of Burma. Balkanization is an option if majority burmese government does not respect the idea diversity and rights.
Burma is ONE country, one state.These people are illegal bandits.Who elected them? No one!Whether the country is democratic or not is a separate issue. These people were intent upon disintegrating Burma without understanding possible terrible consequences.
We don’t speak for anyone but for ALL people of Burma.We cherish our ethnic brethrens and their unique cultures, variations of larger Burmese culture, must be preserved.They must never be persecuted. Burma has over 120 tribes; yes, tribes, never separate states.
“malihkrang says:
Hi Burmese People,
You speak for what Than Shwe and his associates in Tatmadaw are thinking. Thank you for your insight thinking and we know what we should be doing.
YES, we have insight although we never have any contact with the regime.We have insight because we understand hisotry, not just Burmese history, world history going back thousands of year;we study the Greats (you know what it is?)
“Balkanisation is an option”.Really, so that all little states are gobbled up by China and India.How stupid can you get? How can these disparate and weak states develop without economy of sclae. In any case, anyone who promotes balkanisation is our enemy; enemy of all Myanmars/Burmese. You will be tried for treason against all Burma.
All rebels must surrender and return to the legal fold. They can participate in the forthcoming elections not as ethnic interest group but as political parties with manifestos aimed at developing ALL the people of Burma. Bamars are just one of the ethnic groups. In any case the name Bamar is a misnomer. The name Burma is derived from Brahmah (h was dropped later.)The English called our land originally Burmah. Remember Burmah Oil Company (BOC). We know what we are talking about.
“..burmese government does not respect the idea diversity and rights.” This is a meaningless rhetoric. Diversity has nothing to do with balkanisation.No one is bothered about diversity;every country had diversity;that is never an excuse for balkanisation.
Rights? What rights? Every native of Burma has equal right regardless of enthnicity. This is an absurd idea to talk of ethnic right; the people themselves are not concerned, only those stupid and selfish are because they are yearning for their own little empires. You will not get it. We will unite with all our brethren. We know the English neocolonialists are still at it. The real struggle for Burma is to get out of the long shadow of colonialism. We know that in the earlier years of independence, the English were still helping the traitor Baptist kayins at the Thai border. The Thai government was happy to have them as buffer because they had not moved on in hsitorical sense, seeing Burma as historical enemy. Not any more.
Whilst EU member states have surrendered sovereignty- to an extent – to the European Superstate, the stupid of Burma are trying to go opposite way.How moronic, not to understand the political trends. Like a frog in the well, they can’t see anything beyong.
Burma’s energies have been sapped by the separatist traitors. They ushered in that dead ShuMaung, who bankrupted the country.
For goodness sake, for the sake of our poor people -they are Bamars and everyone else – stop talking about balkanisation.
Only unity can bring us out of this messy quagmire.
88 was an open aye for political understanding of our nation composed of 14 states, particularly ethnic states. I am so englightened to learn that ethnic armed forces try to come up as one united into one single objective which is to change the environment for the good of the common enthic people in the country. It has been my wish and dream since 88, that these armed individual forces join together as one, with one strategy for one objective, for a cause of change in policies towards oppressive and discriminatory attitudes towards the ethnic people. In fact unity itself becomes a big challenge among the ethnic people not only among the armed forces but also the ordinary ethnic people as well because speaking different particular dialects would hardly bring harmoney and understanding between the parties of different identities. My wish and prayer for us all is, that we be one so that we can build a better future with sense of true success not just victory. Unity, union is in fact a source of strength. God bless our nation! cheer!
“88 was an open aye for political understanding of our nation composed of 14 states, particularly ethnic states.” What nonsense! 88 was about general discontent with economic mismanagement by ShuMaung’s BSPP regime. And who drew the demarcations lines betwenn the 14 states? Your wonderful low life ShuMaung, so deluded to believe that he was an intelletcual.He was the architect of Burma’s humiliation. Until the coloniser implemented the divide-and-rule policy there never were such things as ‘states’;the term ‘states’ is a misnomer. The eth nic bandits will never really unite!It is a fact. Unite for what? Unity for dividing the state of Burma is a contradiction. Look. Conceptually, if they win, does anyone think that they will stay united.Never.Their objective is not unity. So they will have to separate for their own little empires. And what the Was, who can legimately demand their own state? And will the outsiders remain quiet about the sitation?
It is unbelievable how unintelligent of those who believe that ethnic rebels are legal and must have their own colonies, separated from Burma. Why are you so dense and treasonous? Do you not understand the design of Panglong; to leave behind a timebomb, because we Burmese never accepted them colonising us.
We must get rid of these state names.They can be named northern region, southern region,eastern region, western region and middle region. What we need is local administrative authorities, not separate states. The junta would want to keep these 14 states because it gives them a perfect excuse to stay in power, giving the excuse that if they are not in power these Burma will disintegrate. If everyone accepts the idea of ONE PEOPLE ONE NATION ONE STATE, that is unitary, then there is no need to spend money to fight rebellion and the resources can be used for education, health, infrastructure development, and consequently economic development.
And we can have a civilian, elected government in coalition with the military.
Share our vision and let’s us be one for all and all for one.
Forget ethnic diversity.We are not that different. In the days of monarchy, we never had this problem.The Shan sawbwas, the duwas and other ethnic heriditary chiefs were all part of the monarchical system. People could come and go and sell their produces. Ours is a beautiful kleidoscope of tribes including the Bamar tribes. Really, we are all Bamars, because the term Bamar is derived from Brahma;the Tibeto-Burman as we all are,conjoined with the Shans or Tais, originally from Yunan, not China, we have evolved from the two main branches of the Mongoloid race.
Why keep fighting one another? Silly. USA has many ehtnic minorities. They don’t fight for separate states.Anyway, America has to be a federal (integrated)state because of its size.
Given our history and geopolitcs,federalism is utter lunacy; where are the skilled administrators to manage these states if not the military personnal? How will the taxation policies can be designed? What about national security? What about ECONOMY OF SCALE in developing the economy? And educatio and health policies?
Get rid of this fixation with Panglong and federalism. If we stand shoulder to shoulder and strive for common good, we can survive and propser as one country. Otherwise, we are doomed.
LET US ALL UNITE!
all ethnic minorities are finished in burma now, there is one ruler, than shwe n his strong army junta.it will be much more better if all ethnic minorities stop dreaming about states, it is best if all work for the country bright future, burma is always divided, all wanna be ruler of the country n make money only, now than shwe group won the battle, let them rule the country n make money as much as they can, hahahah,