Majority of KNU leaders want peace, (r)

[kabaraye@xxxxxxxxxxx]

A few comments on this article.

The fact that the majority of KNU leaders want peace is NOT news.They 
have wanted it for a long time and an agreement on the terms for peace 
stood as the stumbling block. Both sides must take the blame for this.

What I understand is they (KNU) have a stong distrust of the SLORC/SPDC 
who have not shown any indication of peaceful gestures as evidenced by 
recent attacks on Refugee camps along the Thai border. (Jan-Mar1998)(Of 
course they will deny involvement as they always have, but a small 
breakaway rebel group like the DBKA certainly won't have 201mm howitzers 
shelling the camps as a means of support and back-up.The most they can 
mustre is an RPG , Rocket Propelled Grenade)

To the SLORC , KNU represents a symbol of resistance to their authority 
and rule and serves as a beacon for others who have the same sentiments. 
Whether this still remains a strong symbol or not, it is the only one 
remaining to remind the free world about the atrocities being carried 
out in this country of 40 million hostages.

Hence, the SLORC's ardent desire to crush the KNU and all associated 
with it ,including the unfortunate refugees , which leaves great doubts 
about their intentions to have any peaceful overtures with the Karens or 
the KNU.Other ethnic groups suffer similar fate but their plight has not 
caught the world's attention yet. 


It's time for SLORC to realise that anhilation of this group or the 
attempt to do so can only mean continued misery and loss of lives for 
all concerned. Remember the young Burmese soldiers also have mothers and 
families mourning for them as they "sacrifice" their lives for something 
they never understood in the first place. 

SLORC/SPDC should sincerely try to end this and all other ethnic 
conflicts and this would call for negotiations and concessions from all 
concerned and cannot be done on terms to be dictated by the one who has 
an upperhand.I am sure that KNU leaders will be more than willing to 
come forwrads when that happens.

As far as P'doh Aung San is concerned, he was one of the few ministers 
in the KNUCEC who had a free hand and was suspected of having his own 
private dealings and timber transections for personal gains. He was 
being investigated for these matters when he decided it was time to "go 
over" to, probably his trading partners, and it was certainly a 
"propaganda coup" for SLORC to be handed  this gift on a platter.It is 
not surprising that he was well rewarded for his efforts.

KA

>Date: 20 Apr 1998 08:24:49
>Reply-To: Conference "reg.burma" <burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>From: RANGOONP@xxxxxxx
>Subject: Majority of KNU leaders want peace, official says
>To: Recipients of burmanet-l <burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>
>Majority of KNU leaders want peace, official says
>
>.c Kyodo News Service    
>
>YANGON, April 20 (Kyodo) - A majority of the leaders of the rebel Karen
>National Union (KNU) want peace, KNU Central Executive Committee member 
Phado
>Aung San said Monday. 
>
>Phado Aung San, former KNU forestry minister and right-hand man of 
rebel
>leader Gen. Bo Mya, made the remark at a press conference in Yangon. 
>
>Phado Aung San said he, 70 rebel soldiers and 143 family members 
entered
>Myanmar from a Thai refugee camp April 7 to ''exchange weapons for 
peace.'' 
>
>''I want my colleagues (in the jungle) to understand that we are not
>capitulating...We have been received by the government and people like 
their
>family members since we crossed into our homeland. 
>
>''Both our ranks and the people want peace. We are abandoning the 
weapons
>which are a deterrent to peace, while three battalions of government 
troops
>are looking after our security,'' he said. 
>
>The returnees were formally received at a ceremony last Friday by 
government
>leaders, led by Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, secretary of the ruling junta, the 
State
>Peace and Development Council (SPDC). 
>
>The SPDC allotted 500 acres of land for a new village for the 
returnees, and
>provided necessary assistance for their immediate needs. 
>
>Phado Aung San expressed his satisfaction and surprise at the warm 
welcome and
>thanked the government for its help. He asked the government to accord 
similar
>assistance to the other KNU members and to the members of the All-Burma
>Students Democratic Front rebel group. 
>
>Col.Thein Swe, speaking on behalf of the government, stated that Senior 
Gen.
>Than Shwe, the SPDC chairman, had March 27 invited those remaining in 
the
>jungles to return. 
>
>Phado Aung San expressed his belief that many KNU members and refugees 
in
>Thailand will return to Myanmar. He asked the Thai government to help 
the
>refugees return. He said the KNU and the lower level Thai officials at 
the
>refugee camps are hampering the return of the refugees to Myanmar. 
>
>Asked about the situation in the KNU leadership, Phado Aung San said, 
''A
>majority of the leaders want peace. Those, including Bo Mya, who have 
property
>and assets in Thailand will not return to Myanmar. Some of them have 
already
>sent their families to Thailand. It will be difficult for Bo Mya to 
carry on
>the leadership of the KNU.'' 
>
>He said that although the KNU claims to have 20,000-30,000 soldiers, 
the
>group's actual strength is ''only about 1,000.'' 
>
>Asked about relations between the KNU and pro-democracy leader Aung San 
Suu
>Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), he said, ''The NLD supported 
the
>KNU Meitharawhta Declartion of January 1997, and the KNU supports the 
NLD
>activities. This mutual support obviously shows the link between the 
two
>organizations.'' 
>
>AP-NY-04-20-98 0515EDT 
>
>


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