Shan rebels call for substantive dialogue

Shan rebels call for substantive dialogue

Claiming success in its defense against 3-week long joint offensive by the Burmese-Wa alliance, the Shan State Army of Col Yawdserk has demanded today that Rangoon authorities immediately stop its war and settle down to serious talks with its democratic opposition as well as the non-Burman political parties under the supervision of the United Nations. 

"We strongly insist that all restrictions on the freedom of the political parties, especially on the National League for Democracy and the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (led by Khun Htoon Oo) be rescinded; that the long-awaited Tripartite Dialogue starts without delay and that the said Dialogue be conducted under the close guidance of the UN in order to discourage bully-boy tactics by any group," said Sao Yawdtai, Political Advisor to Col Yawdserk this morning. 

Asked whether it was because the Shans were getting the worst of it in the battle that the SSA wanted a truce, he replied, "As you can witness for yourself, Pang Maisoong (the stronghold across Chiangmai that was seized by the SSA a month earlier) is still firmly in our hands despite incessant attacks by Rangoon. But peace has always been our aim and what we have always offered to the military authorities who have, as you know, always responded by saying if we want peace we have to surrender. Our present offer aims to avoid coming to a point of no return where reconciliation simply becomes unattainable." 

Asked whether it would accept a ceasefire status like other groups, he replied in the affirmative, "but we would like to secure assurances beforehand that all blatant human rights violations also cease completely. What's the use of truce if it fails to alleviate our people's sufferings." 

S.H.A.N. also questioned why no drug seizures were made although the campaign had been "hyped" as a war on drugs. He replied it had taken them two days to capture Pang Maisoong and when they arrived in Mongtaw later, they were greeted only by two empty refineries. "Of course, we could have made a display of drugs seized from junta troops, as Rangoon had charged us in March in connection with last year's Battle of Parkhee. The fact that we didn't just supports our claim that Burmese officers were indeed involved in the drug trade." 

Parkhee, or Pachee as the Burmese spelled it, was fought in April-May 2001 when the SSA captured 170,000 methamphetamine pills. 

Chao Tzang Yawnghwe, respected Shan academic, remarked that the generals in Rangoon had been "blowing up out of proportion the border problems with Thailand and trying to portray the SSA South as a major threat" in order to avoid engaging in genuine dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi. "(She is) holding all the good cards --- the aces and all that --- while the generals' are weak," he said. 

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won in the whole of Burma during the 1990 elections while Khun Htoon Oo's Shan Nationalities League for Democracy won in the Shan State.