Conflict-Hit Burma Refugees Yearn For Peace

March 19, 2012

An ethnic Kachin child peers out of his shack at a refugee camp in Myitkyina in northern Burma. Fears are growing for the future of tens of thousands of refugees uprooted by ethnic conflict in northern Burma, despite the reformist government's talk of peace with the rebels. Civilians in camps in northernmost Kachin state lack adequate shelter, sanitation as well as food and water supplies, and with the monsoon looming the risk of malaria and other diseases is increasing, relief workers say. (AFP Photo)

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Fears are growing for the future of tens of thousands of refugees uprooted by ethnic conflict in northern Burma, despite the reformist government’s talk of peace with the rebels.

Civilians in camps in northernmost Kachin state lack adequate shelter, sanitation as well as food and water supplies, and with the monsoon looming the risk of malaria and other diseases is increasing, relief workers say.

UN agencies are struggling to deliver aid to those most in need, particularly in rebel-held areas in the mountainous state bordering China, and access will become even harder when the rainy season starts in around May.

“The weather would have a huge impact on anybody that is displaced,” said Aye Win, a spokesman for the United Nations in Yangon, urging “a solution so that aid can be delivered as soon as possible”.

The campaign group Refugees International has warned of the risk of a “serious humanitarian crisis” in the region.

Many of the refugees are traumatized after fleeing clashes between government troops and guerrillas with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which controls swathes of the state.

The predominantly Baptist and Catholic Kachin account for about seven percent of Burma’s population and live in the remote far north near China.

The KIA used to be one of the most powerful armed rebel groups, but signed a ceasefire with the junta in 1994. Today their guerrilla army is thought to be at least several thousand strong.

The conflict re-erupted in June last year as anger grew over a clutch of Chinese-backed hydropower projects in the region.

Fighting has raged since then despite the new quasi-civilian government’s insistence that it wants to reach peace deals with the country’s various armed rebel groups.

“When the mines exploded near our home, it was like an earthquake. Our houses were shaken. We were really frightened,” Khun Mai, a 37-year-old ethnic Kachin woman, said while cradling her three-month-old baby at a camp housing hundreds of refugees in a church compound.

Having reached the state capital Myitkyina, which is relatively easy for relief workers to access, her family has a temporary bamboo hut to sleep in and food donations from local aid groups and the UN World Food Program.

She and her family fled their home near the town of Laiza, which is under the control of the KIA, in June last year and crossed into government-held territory.

Some of her relatives and friends, including children from her village, were killed by landmines or illness while escaping.

“My children think they have to run away forever,” Khun Mai said.

A new report by Human Rights Watch, due out on Tuesday, estimates that about 75,000 ethnic Kachin people have been displaced by the conflict.

It accuses the Burmese army of abuses such as the torture and rape of civilians, conscripted forced labor on the frontlines — including children as young as 14 — and blocking international relief efforts.

The report also accuses the Kachin rebels of using child soldiers and anti-personnel landmines, and the refugees fear that even a peace pact would not end the violence.

“I worry the situation could be worse if there is a ceasefire. The [government] soldiers do what they want in our region,” said Aung Mai, a 39-year-old bishop staying at a camp in the government-held town of Bahmo.

Civil war has gripped parts of Burma since independence in 1948. An end to the conflicts and alleged rights abuses involving government troops is a key demand of Western nations which have imposed sanctions on the regime.

While the government has signed peace deals with other insurgent groups, several rounds of talks with the political wing of the Kachin rebels have failed to bear fruit.

During a visit to Burma last week, US special envoy Derek Mitchell said the violence in Kachin was inconsistent with the government’s reformist bent.

“The immediate concern that we have is on the issue of internally displaced persons, who by any definition are innocents caught in the crossfire of conflict,” he said, urging the government to enable aid to reach the victims.

A group of prominent Kachin businessmen have volunteered to be negotiators between the KIA’s political wing and the government.

“The people are really in trouble,” one of the mediators, Yup Zaw Hkaung, told AFP.

He said about 20,000 refugees have fled their homes in government-controlled areas while roughly 50,000 have been uprooted in rebel-held territory.

“The fighting must stop if we are to save the traumatized people.”

Agence France-Presse

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/international/conflict-hit-burma-refugees-yearn-for-peace/505853

Burma: Reforms Yet to Reach Kachin State

http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/03/20/burma-reforms-yet-reach-kachin-state

Army Abuses and Blocked Aid

March 20, 2012

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  KIA officer visits his displaced family at their temporary shelter outside Laiza, Kachin State, January 29, 2012.
  © 2012 James Robert Fuller

Downloadable Resources: 

Burma: Reforms Yet to Reach Kachin State (Burmese Translation - PDF)

"Untold Miseries" - Summary (Burmese Translation - PDF)

Related Materials: 

“Untold Miseries”

Burma: Ensure Aid Access in Kachin State

More Coverage: 

AFP - Myanmar army accused of rape, torture: HRW

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  Burma: Untold Miseries

The Burmese army is committing unchecked abuses in Kachin State while the government blocks humanitarian aid to those most in need. Both the army and Kachin rebels need to act to prevent a bad situation for civilians from getting even worse.

Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch

(Bangkok) – The Burmese government has committed serious abuses and blocked humanitarian aid to tens of thousands of displaced civilians since June 2011, in fighting in Burma’s northern Kachin State, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Some 75,000 ethnic Kachin displaced persons and refugees are in desperate need of food, medicine, and shelter, Human Rights Watch said.

The 83-page report, “‘Untold Miseries’: Wartime Abuses and Forced Displacement in Burma’s Kachin State,” describes how the Burmese army has attacked Kachin villages, razed homes, pillaged properties, and forced the displacement of tens of thousands of people. Soldiers have threatened and tortured civilians during interrogations and raped women. The army has also used antipersonnel mines and conscripted forced laborers, including children as young as 14, on the front lines.

“The Burmese army is committing unchecked abuses in Kachin State while the government blocks humanitarian aid to those most in need,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Both the army and Kachin rebels need to act to prevent a bad situation for civilians from getting even worse.”

Human Rights Watch travelled twice to areas in Kachin State in 2011, visiting nine camps for internally displaced persons and areas in China’s Yunnan province where refugees have fled, and has continued to monitor the situation. The report is based on more than 100 interviews with displaced persons, refugees, and victims of abuses, as well as Kachin rebels, Burmese army deserters, and relief workers.

The Burmese government and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) need to take effective measures to end abuses by their forces, ensure humanitarian access, and permit an independent international mechanism to investigate abuses by all sides, Human Rights Watch said.

Renewed Burmese army operations against the Kachin Independence Army began in June in a contested area surrounding a Chinese-led hydropower dam, ending 17 years of ceasefire between the government and Kachin insurgents.

Displaced Kachin civilians described being forced to work on the front lines for the Burmese army, enduring torture, and being fired upon by soldiers. Burmese troops have deliberately and indiscriminately attacked Kachin civilians with small arms and mortars, Human Rights Watch found. Human Rights Watch also found evidence of rape by Burmese soldiers.

One man, forced to porter for the army for 19 days, told Human Rights Watch he witnessed the repeated rape of two Kachin women: “Soldiers would come and take the women and bring them from tent to tent. We were so afraid and we couldn’t watch the whole night. The next morning, the women couldn’t walk right. They seemed like they were in pain. They walked hunched over. And they were crying.”

The Kachin Independence Army has also been involved in serious abuses, including using child soldiers and antipersonnel mines, Human Rights Watch said. Both sides’ use of mines, which do not discriminate between combatants and civilians, will complicate the safe return of displaced civilians to their villages when hostilities cease.

Human Rights Watch called on the Burmese government to ask the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to establish an office in Burma with a standard protection, promotion, and technical assistance mandate.

Burma’s newly created National Human Rights Commission has not played an effective role in monitoring abuses in Kachin State, Human Rights Watch said. In February 2012, the commission’s chairman, Win Mra, announced that the commission would not investigate allegations of abuses in the country’s ethnic armed conflict areas due to the government’s efforts to negotiate ceasefires.

“Concerned governments should urgently support an independent international mechanism to investigate abuses by all sides to the conflict in Kachin State and in other ethnic areas,” Pearson said. “An objective investigation into abuses in Burma’s ethnic areas won’t happen unless the UN is involved, and such an effort can help deter future abuses.”

Of the 75,000 Kachin civilians displaced since June, at least 45,000 have sought refuge in 30 camps for internally displaced persons in Kachin Independence Army-controlled territory along the Burma-China border. The Burmese government has only granted UN agencies access to this area once, in December. Even then, UN agencies were not able to visit several areas where tens of thousands of displaced persons reside. In areas it controls, the Kachin Independence Army and networks of local Kachin organizations have tried to meet growing humanitarian needs, but international support for civilian-relief organizations operating out of Kachin State has been sporadic and inadequate.

Humanitarian needs of displaced persons in Kachin State include food and other necessities, such as medicine, blankets, warm clothing, firewood and fuel, and adequate shelter.

The worsening situation in Kachin State contrasts starkly with hopeful human rights developments in lowland Burma in recent months, including the release of prominent political prisoners, a spate of legal reforms, and greater media freedom. In by-elections scheduled for April 1, the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi will run for a seat in the national parliament.

“There’s still a long way to go before the people of Burma, particularly those in conflict areas, benefit from recent promises of reform,” Pearson said. “The international community should not become complacent about the serious human rights violations still plaguing Burma.”

Accounts from “Untold Miseries”

“While I was taking a shower, the Burmese army soldiers came and fired a machine gun. My children had to jump down from the hut in the farm, and I had to hide to not be shot.... The soldiers … were standing and shooting. If we didn’t flee, we’d have been shot dead, because the bullets hit the ceiling.”
– F.F., 35, female, Kachin State, Burma, November 16, 2011

“They [Burmese army soldiers] said that we villagers are KIA, and that the KIA are villagers, and that’s why they shot at us. The Burmese soldiers said for us not to cross a certain area or they’ll shoot us. ‘We’ll shoot everyone, young or old, man or women, we don’t care,’ they said. ‘If your grandparent is a KIA, we will kill the parents and grandchildren too,’ one soldier said. ‘We will kill three generations.’”
– A.E., 40, female, Yunnan Province, China, November 2011

“First they beat him, and then they put a bag over his head and tied it tight around his neck.... When his head was covered with plastic, they poured the water, and the plastic was close on his nose and mouth and he couldn’t breathe. Even though he couldn’t speak, they kept asking if he was a [KIA] soldier. They kept beating him severely.”
– Mae Nu, 40, who witnessed Burmese army soldiers torture an 18-year-old man, Kachin State, November 15, 2011

“[The Burmese army soldiers] tied my son and they made him walk in front of them. My daughter-in-law, my son, and I had to walk in front of them. After we walked for a while they tied my daughter-in-law, and me and my son too. They tied my left hand and connected it to my son’s right hand with a long string. We walked in a line with two soldiers on each side and four soldiers behind us. We carried three big bags of corn. We had about ten bags total.”
– Maru Maw, 70, forced to porter for the Burmese army and fired upon when he escaped, Kachin State, November 21, 2011

“We had to learn how to shoot, how to walk, how to live, how to behave and live in the jungle, and other things. It [basic training] was three months long. There were over 200 in the training. Most were older but I had some friends my age in the training.... I don’t have my own gun and cannot carry one because they think I am too young. I mostly prepare meals for officers and send letters back and forth.”
– Maru P., 16, child soldier in the KIA, Kachin State, November 14, 2011

US Aid to Bring Little Relief to Kachin Refugees

Source: irrawaddy

March 19, 2012: Humanitarian relief agencies working with Kachin refugees in northern Burma have welcomed a US pledge for financial aid, but say it will do little to alleviate the suffering of more than 60,000 people displaced by a conflict that shows no signs of ending.

“We thank them for their support, but it won't go very far, considering how many people are affected,” said Mai Li Awng, a spokesperson for a local Kachin relief group known as Wun Tawng Ningtwey (“Light for Kachin People”).

On Wednesday, visiting US special envoy for Burma Derek Mitchell said during a pres conference with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi that the US government would provide US $1.5 million to assist those forced to flee fighting between government forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

According to Mitchell, the money will be distributed through the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR. By Mai Li Awng's estimate, however, the US contribution will last barely a month.

“Right now, we're spending about 700 kyat [$0.90] to feed each person per day,” she said. At that rate, the money will run out in less that 28 days—and that's without taking into consideration other needs.

One of the most pressing concerns right now is an outbreak of measles in four of the 10 camps set up along the Sino-Burmese border, where at least two-thirds of the displaced villagers are sheltering. According to Mai Li Awng, there are as many as 30 cases of measles in one camp alone.

“We don't have any vaccine, so we're worried that the virus will spread to the other six camps,” she said.

Another problem is a lack of clean water. With summer approaching and temperatures rising steadily, this shortage is expected to become acute in the coming months, contributing even further to concerns about poor sanitary conditions and the spread of infectious diseases.

Making matters worse, very little of the aid is reaching those who need it most—the 40,000 who are in camps in KIA-controlled territory along the border.

So far, most aid has gone to the 20,000 or so internally displaced persons who have fled to urban areas such as Myitkyina or Bhamo, which are under government control. Local aid workers say the government has denied outside relief agencies access to border-based camps.

Speaking on Wednesday, Mitchell said that national reconciliation would be a key issue when deciding how soon the US will lift sanctions on Burma.

Talks held in the Chinese border town of Ruili last weekend aimed at ending fighting between the KIA and the government army failed to produce a ceasefire agreement.

By:http://burmacentredelhi.org/news/15-inside-burma/2088-us-aid-to-bring-little-relief-to-kachin-refugees-.html

attacked by Burmese army

MYEN HPYEN DU GAYA PAWT PAWT NA SINAT GAP

March (16) bat Kru,
Jinghpaw Mung, Sinbo myen hpyen dap hka-la-ya (141) Dap Up Lt.Col Soe Thu Ya gaw Wunpawng Mungdan Shanglawt Asuya Masat (2) Dap Ba n pu Dap Dung (5) Ginra Pang Hkawn Yang hpe wa htim gasat ai hta shi a hpyen hpung ni si/hkala ai law ai hte Dung (5) Pang Hkawn Yang hpe n lu zing madu ai majaw ma-pa-hka kaw nna a hkyak la na matu shi a dap Sinbo de n htang wa kau shangun ai hpe myit n gut gaya hkrum ai majaw March 13/14/15 (3) na tup shi a dap kata na n'ta (3) hpe sinat kaji kaba hte gap nna jahten kau ai lam na chye lu ai.
Dai mabyin hpe KIA ni sa gap ai re ngu shi a n'tsa de tang madun nga ai lam mung chye lu ai. KIA kaw na gaw htim gasat majan tsep kawp n galaw ai hte tinang Dap Ginra hpe makawp maga ai hkap hkam majan sha galaw nga ai lam mung chye lu ga ai.

There was aggressive intrusion attacked by Burmese army hka-la-ya (141) led by Lt. Col Soe Thu against KIA 5^nd Battalion command based in Pang Hkawn Yang, under KIA 2^nd brigade. However, Burmese army has suffered huge losses of soldiers in the battle. Thus, Burmese army central command has issued order against him and all his soldiers to return to Sinbo Burmese army based to face charges against him. This team has failed to sized the KIA control areas as planned. Therefore he was embarrassed for his  failure   mission attacked against KIA. Since then, he opened fired at his own army camp tents on 13 to 15 March 2012 to destroyed it. After he was destroyed its own camp with heavy arms fire, he then reported to the Burmese army central command in Sinbo mentioned it was being destroyed by KIA arms attacked that demolished his own camp to sabotage the villager in KIA control areas. Then truth was reveal, the fact is that KIA troop has not launch any offensive attack against Burmese camps except that self defend against Burmese army intrusion and attacked against KIA and Kachin civilian only. According to KIA frontline reported that KIA troops have not launch any aggressive attached against Burmese army except Burmese army has started to launch major offensive civil war against KIA and Kachin people since 09 June2010 in all over Kachin states in Burma.

GANG DAU YANG KAW GAP

GANG DAU YANG KAW GAP

March (16) bat manga
Wunpawng Mungdan Shanglawt Asuya Dap Ba (5) ginra rai nga ai Gang Dau Yang Mare makau kaw KIA Dap Nawng Hpung na Myu tsaw share shagan ni hte myen hpyen asuya dap hka-la-ya (389) ni dai hpawt daw hkying (9:00am) ram hta laja lana gap gasat lai wa sai lam shiga na chye lu ai. Majan shiga kata lam hpe nchye lu shi ai.

There was another intrusion attacked by Burmese army hka-la-ya (398) against KIA 5^th Brigade Gang Dau Yang village. It took place at 9am Burma time and actual casualty from both side was unknown according to frontline report. In spite of order from regime president and ongoing negotiation for peace but Burmese army continue attacking KIA and Kachin civilian. This actions evidence that Burmese army and regime have no genuine desire for peace and democratic reform for the nation or country.

MARE SHALANG NI HPE MYEN HPYEN NI RIM LA

March (16) bat Manga
Wunpawng Mungdan Shanglawt Asuya KIA Dap Ba (2) npu Dung (5) ginra, Nawng Gam mare na Mare Salang rai nga ai (ေနာင္းဂမ္ေက်းရြာ ဥကၠဌ) Slg. Mali Tang, Slg. Nshu La Hpri, Slg. Labya Tu ni hpe myen hpyen asuya Dap hka-la-ya (121) Dap Up ဒု-ဗိုလ္မွဴးႀကီး ခင္ေမာင္ေအး kaw nna, March (5) ya shani mara kata rim woi mat wa nna, adup zingri nhtawm, Man Maw de woi mat wa ai lam shiga na chye lu ai.

Dap Dung (5) ginra ေရႊျငိမ္းခ်မ္းေက်းရြာ hpe mung myen tai hpyen ni hku nna, Wunpawng Mungdan Shanglawt Asuya Masat (5) Dap Dung hpe garum jaw ai ngu nna, Mare hpe jahten sharun, shabra kau na ladat tam, maw mawn nga ai lam mung na chye lu ai.

Burmese Army ka-la-ya(112) has arrested Kachin civilian Mr. Mali Tang, Mr. Nshu La Hpri and Mr. Labya Tu

without any reasons and warrant. They are arrested on 5 March 2012 and they are elders from Nawng Gam village under KIA 2^nd bridge administrative area. These Kachin civilian are being torture and beaten by Burmese soldiers and taken them to Bamaw district, Kachin State according to eyes witness report. This is simply Burmese soldiers have lost the battle against KIA 5^th brigade thus they accused villagers and arrested elders form the village. At the same time, Burmese Army accused  the villagers from KIA 5^th brigade control areas for supporting KIA and Burmese army is planning to demolish this village according to villagers report. We Kachin people citizens of BURMA condemn Burmese army committed terrorist acts against Kachin civilian, arrest, torture, brutality and human right violation against Kachin civilian in Kachin States, Burma. We appeal to international communities and UN security council to stop immediately Burmese army crime against its own citizens and request for humanitarian supports from UN and the world.

MARCH 13 YA SHANI SHARA LAW LAW HTA GASAT

March (14) bat Masum,
Wunpawng Mungdan Shanglawt Asuya Dap Ba (2) n pu, Dung (5) ginra rai nga ai Pang Hkawng Yang (Sinbo) hkran de myen hpyen asuya hpyen hpung ni hte KIA myu tsaw share shagan ni March (13) ya shani gap gasat lai wa sai lam shiga na chye lu ai.

March (13) ya shani sha Dap Ba (3) ginrai rai nga ai Gandau Yang, Dabak hte Nam San Yang makau hkan e mung shawng lam de htu lung wa ai myen hpyen hpung ni hpe KIA myu tsaw share shagan ni ninghkap gasat lai wa sai lam hpe mung matut na chye lu ai.

On March 13 2012, there was another intrusion attacked by Burmese Army against KIA 2^nd Brigade, 5^th Battalion command base located in Pang Hkawn Yang (Sinbo). Burmese Army has continue attacking and intrusion into KIA control areas in Kachin States, in spite of ongoing talk between KIO leaders and Burmese regime delegates for National reconciliation and Burma Regime President order to stop intrusion attack against KIA and Kachin civilian in all over Kachin states.  

On the same day there was another Burmese army intrusion and offensive attacked into Gandau Yang, Dabak and Nam San Yang of KIA 3^rd Brigade control areas. However, KIA troops has successfully defended against Burmese Army soldiers from crossing into KIA territories.

China protests to Myanmar over killing of Chinese civilian

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- China said Tuesday it has lodged an official protest with Myanmar over the killing of a Chinese civilian by two Myanmar soldiers who crossed into China earlier this year.

"The Chinese side has lodged solemn representations with the Myanmar side asking it to quickly find out the truth, punish the murderers and compensate the bereaved families," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told a regular news briefing.

Liu's comments appear to be the first confirmation by Beijing of the soldiers' execution-style killing of Lahpai Zau Lawn, a 53-year-old ethnic Kachin farmer, on Jan. 12 in an area bordering Myanmar in southwestern China's Yunnan Province.

He was shot at close range in the abdomen and head, Kachin News, a Thailand-based website, reported in January.

"A photo of Lahpai Zau Lawn's corpse provided by his family supports their conclusion that he was struck in the face with a butt of a gun before being killed," the website report said.

(Mainichi Japan) March 14, 2012

Latest KIO-Burma talks end without peace deal

By: KNG

KIO (left) and Burmese government delegation held talk on March 9 as second day in Ruili in China's southwest Yunnan province.

RUILI, China — Two days of talks between the Burmese government and the Kachin Independence Organization concluded in China on Friday without a comprehensive peace agreement being reached.

The latest round of negotiations took place in the Yunnanese border town of Ruili as Burma's armed forces and the country's second largest armed ethnic group continued to clash along a large front line that spans much of Kachin and significant parts of northern Shan state.

According to sources who attended the meeting one of the major sticking points that remains is government delegation's refusal to accept the KIO demand that issues relating to the political cause of the conflict be addressed prior to a ceasefire being reached.

The government team was led by retired general turned MP Aung Thaung known to be close to former military leader Than Shwe, while the KIO delegation was led by Sumlut Gam.

During the second day of talks, Aung Thaung's stance that a political dialogue only begins in parliament after a ceasefire is signed was rejected by the KIO delegation, said a KIO official with knowledge of the talks.

Since the beginning of the conflict which started when the Burmese army attacked KIO position in June of last year, the KIO repeated its desire for a deal based on the 1947 Panglong agreement signed by General Aung San and representatives of the Kachin, Shan and Chin ethnic groups. Reached just before Burma received independence, Panglong granted Burma's major minorities some degree of autonomy over ethnic areas, however the agreement was never implemented after Aung San's assassination.

Many Western governments including the US and the UK say the lifting of sanctions on Burma also depends on progress being made towards national reconciliation with the country's ethnic minorities.

While a flurry of ceasefires agreements have been concluded between the the nominally civilian government and various armed rebel groups since the beginning of the year, the ongoing conflict between the army and the Kachin remains a glaring contradiction to President Thein Sein's claim his country has entered a new era.

Following the end of the talks Burmese opposition news group Democratic Voice of Burma quoted KIO spokesman Brig-Gen Gun Maw that one of the other major points of disagreement between the two sides is the future of Burmese army bases in KIO territory.

Over the past 24 hours, government forces launched an offensive against KIO position’s in central Kachin State's Sinbo region in territory belonging to it is the Kachin Independence Army's 5th Battalion.

KNG TV, March 7: Arresting Villlagers within Irrawaddy Myitsone Postponed Dam Site

 Video

KNG TV, March 7: Arresting Villlagers within Irrawaddy Myitsone Postponed Dam Site

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Burmese Army needs to withdraw its troops for peace

Three days of talks between Burmese government and Kachin Independence Organization concluded on March 10 at 2:50 pm. No comprehensive ceasefire agreement was signed in this meeting.
The main obstacle to reach a ceasefire agreement in this meeting was Burmese government’s refusal to withdraw its troops from conflict areas. Kachin delegation repeatedly asked to withdraw newly deployed battalions from lower Burma and Light Infantry Divisions that were established to fight against foreign invasions and now deploying across Kachin State.  Most local villagers are afraid to go back to their own villages as long as there is a Burmese Army outpost near their villages, said a Kachin delegate.
Kachin representatives pointed out that in 1994 when both sides signed a ceasefire agreement, there were only 18 Burmese Army battalions deployed in Kachin areas, but in 2011 the number reached to 80 battalions. Kachin delegation therefore asked the real intention behind the push for a hasty ceasefire agreement while Burmese Army has dramatically increased its troops in recent months.
Burmese government delegation repeated its push for a ceasefire agreement and said that only KIO is left to sign a ceasefire agreement with government and all other ethnic nationalities already have signed agreements and warned not to rely on United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) as it is just in name.
Kachin delegation said the Kachins had never been conquered by the Burmans in the past but hoping for equal rights Kachins had signed Panglong Agreement that had never been honored by successive Burmese governments. In KIO’s demand, a Panglong like conference, that involves government and all other ethnic nationalities, to be held in the near future to achieve a consensus statement that reflects agreement between different stake holders.
After three days of discussion, both sides agree to set up a liaison post as an initial step to discuss withdrawal of troops. A draft statement was finally agreed by both sides. The statement said that both side are encouraged by the progresses of the meetings, the level of trust has increased, future meetings will discuss political issues, troops in conflict areas will be reduced by both sides, and a date will be set to discuss withdrawal of troops from conflict areas.
http://kachinlandnews.com/?p=21429