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Shan Goes to APEC Workshop:




11 December 1998 

Shan Goes to APEC Workshop 

A Shan representative was reported to have participated in the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation Workshop which was held in Chiangmai, 4-6 December 1998. 

The Workshop was organized by the Auckland University from New Zealand
where the next APEC meet is to be held in September 1999. The aim was "to
draw (APEC) policy makers....into the indigenous and minority issue.... and
to ensure a strong representation of the indigenous and ethnic minority
agenda in the events related to the APEC Leaders' Meeting in Auckland....".
It was presided by Sir Paul Reeves, former Governor- General (1985-1990) of
New Zeland and a Maori by race. 

The Shans were represented by Sao Sengsuk, Spokesman for the Shan
Democratic Union and Coordinator for the Shan States Organization, who
introduced the meeting to the Conclusions of the Barcelona Conference on
the Right of Self Determination that was held 21-27 November. 

The Meeting in Spain, sponsored by the UNESCO, had recommended strongly to
the UN "to create an effective mechanism within the United Nations to
assist in the resolution of self determination claims and conflicts; (and)
to create a permanent forum of peoples within the United Nations system
which would have consultative status with the UN". 

A Thai activist from Forum Asia, Ms Pornsuk Koetsawang, also contributed
her observations. "People are paying only lip-service to a Tripartite
Dialogue in Burma. But what they actually say and do are for a Bipartite
one i.e. between the two Burman camps namely, the NLD and the SPDC. You
rarely hear any mention about non-Burman participation in any dialogue". 

The meeting ended with a statement that called for a parallel APEC meet
among ethnic representatives in Auckland. 


S.H.A.N. 
// END //