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HEADLINE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New York Times - Burmese Boy Rebels Languish in
Jungle
BBC - Burma remembers founding father IHT - Union says Wal-Mart selling Myanmar goods in Canada Reuters - Union says Wal-Mart selling Myanmar goods in Canada AFP - Aung San Suu Kyi and brother mark their father's death on Martyrs' Day NSTP - National: Playing host to Asean students Bangkok Post - DRUGS Trafficking fears raised by Wa road The Nation - China urged to put heat on Burma The Nation - God's Army: Persecution of 'the
ghosts in the jungle'
The New York Times - July 19, 2000
Burmese Boy Rebels Languish in Jungle By SETH MYDANS BANGKOK, July 18 -- The rains have come and spirits are a little low for
God's Army, the rag-tag Burmese insurgency that draws its inspiration from twin
12-year-old soldiers.
Coughing, scratching themselves and seeming bewildered by the world around
them, the boys met in a jungle camp recently with an American journalist and
complained that they were short of food and supplies.
Swinging short machetes, the boys were helping to build bamboo and thatch
huts in a clearing when the journalist, Jason Bleibtreu, having trekked through
the mountains, arrived to photograph and film them as he had done once before,
in April.
Despite their claims of supernatural powers, the boys, Johnny and Luther
Htoo, seemed as passive and childlike as ever, relying on a sort of nanny named
Rambo to help them answer questions.
Mr. Bleibtreu: "What are your plans now?"
Rambo to Johnny: "We still have our plans. Tell him."
Johnny: "Now? We still have our plans."
God's Army made headlines in January when 10 of its members staged a
suicidal raid on a hospital in the Thai border town of Ratchaburi, holding
hostage more than 800 patients and medical workers before being shot dead by
security forces.
Since then, remnants of the group of no more than 200 fighters have been on
the run from both Thai troops and the forces of Myanmar, the former Burma, where
they are a splinter faction of an ethnic Karen insurgency.
But they told Mr. Bleibtreu that the little camp where he met them in a
remote stretch of mountains was in fact just inside the border of Thailand. It
seemed for the moment that even their pursuers had lost interest in them.
A number of the fighters apparently have drifted away to refugee camps
along the border that shelter Karen civilians fleeing the conflict inside
Myanmar. No more than 30 fighters -- half of them teenage boys -- accompanied
the twins in their jungle camp.
Dressed in military-style fatigues but looking frail and undernourished in
Mr. Bleibtreu's videotape, the boys spent most of their energy smoking fat
cheroots. At one point, Johnny sucked alternately on two of them, one in each
hand.
On his previous visit, Mr. Bleibtreu met only with Luther. This time, with
both boys present, he said he detected a hint of sibling rivalry.
"Luther was moody and looked like he was a little bit upset that Johnny was
getting the attention this time," Mr. Bleibtreu said. "Between the two of them,
Johnny is a brighter bulb, more talkative and outgoing. When I started paying
attention to Johnny, Luther got up and left and was in a bad mood."
More than once when he was filming Luther, Mr. Bleibtreu said, the child
raised a machete at him in what seemed to be a threatening way.
Johnny also seemed edgy about the attention his brother had received.
Mr. Bleibtreu: "What kind of weapons do you like?"
Johnny to Rambo: "Did he ask these questions during his last visit?"
Rambo: "He asked."
Johnny: "What was the answer?"
As with most of Mr. Bleibtreu's questions -- on both visits -- there never
was a coherent answer. It was not clear that the boys had much of an idea what
the journalist was doing there or what an interview was all about.
The uneducated sons of a peasant farmer, they have been venerated as the
reincarnations of ancient Karen heroes since they were small boys and their
words are received as the wisdom of oracles.
They -- or their followers -- claim that the boys command 400,000 invisible
soldiers, and that they can change shape, predict the future and walk through
minefields unscathed.
It is a strange life for a small boy to be carried everywhere on the
shoulders of armed men and handed a lit cheroot whenever he murmurs, "I want a
smoke."
It seems a lonely life as well.
"Of course, we would like to see our parents," Johnny said.
And he looked on listlessly from his regal perch on Rambo's lap as a group
of armed boys raced through the campsite, as if at a summer camp, playing a game
of tag.
Mr. Bleibtreu: "What games do you like to play?"
Johnny: "I don't know how to play."
BBC- Wednesday, 19 July, 2000, 14:22
GMT 15:22 UK
Burma remembers founding father The cermony was held at the foot of the Shwedagon Pagoda
Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has attended a ceremony to
mark the 1947 assassination of her father, the country's leading independence
hero.
A solemn-looking Ms Suu Kyi was escorted by a military guard to the Martyrs' Mausoleum, at the foot of Rangoon's Shwedagon Pagoda. Wearing a black shawl around her shoulders, she placed flowers at her
father's tomb and then knelt to pay respects.
Her father General Aung San and most of his cabinet were gunned down just
six months before Burma was declared a sovereign nation in 1948.
The assassination is remembered each year on Martyrs' Day.
It is the only event where Ms Suu Kyi is allowed to take part in official
ceremonies.
General Aung San was the founder of Burma's army and is respected as a
national hero by the ruling military regime for his leading role in the struggle
for independence from Britain.
But Ms Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD), is
considered a traitor by the military.
House arrest
The NLD won a landslide victory in elections in 1990, but the military
regime refused to hand over power.
Despite her release from house arrest in 1995, Ms Suu Kyi's movements and
political activities are still heavily restricted.
Reports said Ms Suu Kyi arrived at the ceremony in a black sedan
accompanied by Colonel Than Tun, her military liaison officer during her six
years of house arrest.
Her brother Aung San Oo, who lives in the United States, also attended the
ceremony.
Culture Minister Win Sein led the government representatives.
But reports said none of the top generals of the ruling State Peace and
Development Council attended.
Ms Suu Kyi was also due to hold a private religious ceremony at the NLD
headquarters on Wednesday.
International Herald Tribune
Paris, Wednesday, July 19, 2000
Lesson for Martyrs' Day in Burma --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By David I. Steinberg International Herald Tribune -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WASHINGTON - Martyrs' Day this Wednesday is an annual occasion in Burma. It commemorates the day in 1947 when U Aung San was assassinated along with members of what was to be the cabinet of newly independent Burma. U Aung San, 33, had led the independence movement and founded Burma's national army, which negotiated independence from Britain. The military government is in a dilemma over Martyrs' Day. It must recognize the importance of the occasion, but by so doing so it automatically confers on U Aung San's daughter, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and leader of the opposition National League for Democracy, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, some of the aura associated with her father. So the junta has tried to downgrade U Aung San's importance. His ubiquitous picture on government office walls and in private homes has
disappeared. His likeness has been removed from the currency. Yet the military
rulers cannot ignore this event.
This is also the time for U Aung San's daughter to pay respects to her
father. She has been allowed to visit his tomb in private ceremonies. The
government probably fears that the occasion could turn into an anti-military
demonstration if it were opened to the public.
Insofar as the outside world pays any attention to Martyrs' Day, it focuses
on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as leader of the opposition to the military and as the
symbolic representation of democracy. This is understandable, but it neglects
even more fundamental issues that have plagued the Burmese state since
independence.
U Aung San was the person who brought the disparate ethnic minorities and
the majority Burmans together so that the Union of Burma, as the state was then
called, couldbe formed. He was not completely successful, but he generated more
trust than any subsequent leader of this sorry country has.
Before he was assassinated, he was able to rally most of the ethnic groups.
His death and the resulting fragmented leadership, both civilian and military,
destroyed the dream of national unity.
Since a coup in 1962, reinforced by another coup in 1988 that led to the
present regime, the Burmese military has constantly reiterated the need for
national unity. But its policies and actions have directly undercut the
long-term achievement of that goal.
The military authorities have negotiated close to 20 cease-fires with
various minority armies. Only one group, the Karen, remains outside as a
significant force. But these are not peace treaties. As important as they are in
stopping the ceaseless killing that has gone on in some cases for half a
century, they are matters of expedience on both sides.
The army in minority areas is still often regarded as a foreign occupying
force. The issue of majority and minority relations in Burma has yet to be
addressed. It is the fundamental problem facing the country.
While Martyrs' Day remembers political violence, it now symbolizes the
struggle for representative government. More basically, it should remind all
concerned that national unity is built not by the coercive power of the state
but by fostering the trust so necessary for the functioning of any effective
government and nation.
The writer, director of Asian Studies at Georgetown University, contributed this comment to the International Herald Tribune. Tuesday July 18, 6:24 pm Eastern Time
Union says Wal-Mart selling Myanmar goods in Canada (UPDATE: Adds Walmart response in grafs 9-11) By Peter Szekely
WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) - A union seeking to represent workers at
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT - news) said on Tuesday that the world's largest
retailer is selling goods made by forced labour in Myanmar, despite a claim it
would no longer do so.
Citing government data, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) said
Wal-Mart's Canadian operation has imported nearly 70 tons of garments from
Myanmar -- the name chosen by the military government of the country formerly
called Burma -- since the end of last year.
Union officials said products made in factories under the control of the
Myanmar government remain on Wal-Mart's shelves in Canada because the retailer
has been importing them through third party vendors. They said they did not know
whether any products from Myanmar were in Wal-Mart's U.S. stores.
``We demand that Wal-Mart sever all ties with any company doing business in
Burma,'' said Michael Leonard, a UFCW international vice president
``Wal-Mart cannot claim that it has cut its Burma connection and then trade
with the business partners of Burma's dictators,'' Leonard told a news
conference.
The union, which has launched a campaign to represent the company's U.S.
700,000 retail workers, is asking customers to urge Wal-Mart in telephone calls
and e-mails to cut off all business with Myanmar.
``The American people need to know that the military regime and Burma's
drug lords control most commercial activity in Burma and this is especially true
of the garment and textile sector,'' U Maung Maung, an exiled Burmese trade
union leader, said at the news conference.
Maung Maung, who lives in Bangkok, said union activity is illegal in
Myanmar.
Wal-Mart spokeswoman Betsy Reithmeyer said the company stopped directly
buying goods from Myanmar for its U.S. stores about a year ago and believes it
has successfully prevailed on its other suppliers to do the same.
``We do not directly import anything from Burma,'' Reithmeyer said. ``We
encourage our suppliers, and have down so for some time, not to source from
Burma.''
She said Wal-Mart Canada adopted a similar policy a few months ago, but is
still working off its inventory of Burmese goods that she said will not be
replaced after it is sold.
Last month, the Geneva-based International Labour Organisation (ILO) passed
a resolution against Myanmar's alleged widespread use of forced labour.
The ILO's appeal to governments and institutions, including the World Bank
and International Monetary Fund, to ensure they do not abet Myanmar in
perpetuating forced labour was a first for the 81-year-old United Nations labour
agency. But it did not mention economic sanctions and the ILO's governing body
has no teeth to enforce such measures.
The United States barred American companies in 1997 from making new
investments in Myanmar, citing its ``highly authoritarian military regime'' and
saying that its primary source of income comes from the sale of illicit
narcotics.
But the sanctions do not bar the importation of Myanmar goods and the UFCW
said U.S. imports of Myanmar-made garments have risen 132 percent in the past
three years.
Union officials said Wal-Mart's Canadian operation has done business with
six vendors that import goods from Myanmar -- Hampton Industries, Sutton
Creations, Global Gold, Stretch-O-Rama, Cherry Stix and By Design.
Because of its huge size, Wal-Mart has enough clout over its suppliers to
force them to stop doing business with Myanmar, said Mark Anderson, president of
the AFL-CIO's Food and Allied Service Trades department.
``Wal-Mart exerts tremendous control over its vendors,'' Anderson said
after the news conference.
Trade unions have estimated that more than 800,000 people in Myanmar are
conscripted with little or no pay as army porters or workers in construction and
agriculture and live in slave-like conditions. The Myanmar government denied
this, saying there is no forced labour in the country.
Wednesday, July 19 3:09 PM SGT
Aung San Suu Kyi and brother mark
their father's death on Martyrs' Day
YANGON, July 19 (AFP) - Aung San Suu Kyi and her sole remaining brother Wednesday attended a sombre
ceremony to mark the death 53 years ago of her father General Aung San, the
revered architect of Myanmar's independence.
General Aung San and seven other top leaders were gunned down by hired
assassins just six months before Myanmar, then known as Burma, was declared a
sovereign nation.
His death changed the course of history in this nation, which is now ruled
by a military regime widely condemned for extensive human rights abuses.
Aung San Suu Kyi, who leads the opposition National League for Democracy,
arrived at Yangon's landmark "Shwedagon" pagoda wearing mourning black.
Her hair was devoid of the flowers that have become a trademark of the
women known here simply as "The Lady".
She placed three baskets of roses carried by six young girls in front of
the pagoda, bowed to the national flag and then went on her knees to pay homage
to the dead.
As usual, she was escorted to and from the Martyrs' Day ceremony by the
military guard who follow her every move.
Also in attendance was Aung San Suu Kyi's brother Aung San Oo, who
travelled from the United States for the ceremony.
Aung San Oo has never played a political role in Myanmar but makes regular
low-key personal and business trips here. He is much less critical of the regime
than his sister and the two are known not to be close.
A younger brother died in a drowning accident as a child.
The area around the Shwedagon pagoda was tightly secured and traffic and
the general public were barred from approaching.
Representatives of the diplomatic community and officials from the United
Nations, the Red Cross and other organisations also joined in the wreath-laying
ceremony.
The junta also greatly revere General Aung San and claim that they, and not
his daughter, are carrying out his legacy in Myanmar.
The general's old lake-side residence, now a museum, will be open to the
public for the next few days while prayers will be held and food alms offered at
monasteries throughout the day.
The NLD was to hold a private ceremony for the occasion later Wednesday.
The party won an overwhelming victory in elections held 10 years ago, but
the junta has always refused to recognise the result.
The New Straits Times
Wednesday, July 19 6:30 PM SGT National: Playing host to Asean
students
KUALA LUMPUR, Tues. - Malaysia welcomed a large student delegation from around the region today under an exchange programme held for the first time to promote closer ties among schoolchildren from Asean countries. The Asean Students Exchange Programme saw the country playing host to students from Myanmar, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei and Singapore. A total of 68 students, including 30 from Malaysia, are participating in
the programme.
Besides being taken on field trips to savour the country's interesting
sights, students - between 14 and 16 years of age - will also be putting up with
"foster families" for several days during their two-week stay here.
Asean countries will take turns hosting the programme. Organised by the
Education Ministry with the approval of the Asean secretariat, the programme
hopes to foster goodwill, tolerance and solidarity among student
participants.
It will also enable selected students to experience life in a community of
a fellow Asean country.
During the welcoming ceremony at Impiana Hotel today, Education Ministry
secretary-general Tan Sri Johari Mat said the programme was mooted at the third
meeting of the Asean Sub-Committee on Education (Ascoe) in Kuala Lumpur five
years ago.
"Various constraints faced by Ascoe and Asean prevented this programme from
being held earlier. But as the saying goes, better late than never."
Johari said it was important for students in the region to be more aware of
Asean-related matters, including its concept, history, society, and present and
future development.
During the ceremony, the students were entertained to choir and dikir barat
performances.
It was the first visit to Malaysia for the majority of participants, but
most have settled in comfortably, even made friends with fellow participants
from other countries.
Those who had toured the country previously were impressed with Malaysia's
rapid development. They were captivated right from when they set foot on the
ultra-modern Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang.
But all agreed that they will be sharing their experiences with friends
back home.
Tri Haptiko, from Indonesia, said he could not wait to return home and tell
all his school mates about Malaysia.
"Which is why, I want to find out everything I can about the country while
I am here."
Diane Marie M. Rombaoa, from the Philippines, said the programme gave her
an opportunity to mingle with students from other Asean countries.
"We differ slightly in terms of culture and language. It will be
interesting to find out more about each other."
Bangkok Post - July 19,
2000.
DRUGS Trafficking fears raised by Wa road Wassana Nanuam The Red Wa's road construction project along the northern Thai-Burmese
border will pose a security threat to Thailand since it will facilitate drug
trafficking and Burmese military deployments, the Third Army chief said
yesterday.
Lt-Gen Watanachai Chaimuenwong also slammed Thai contractors hired to build
the 150km road, saying they were willling to receive dirty money from the
illicit drug trade without any concern for their motherland.
Thai security troops would have to work harder and adjust plans to deal
with drug smuggling and other border problems, he added.
The general also urged the Foreign Ministry to raise the matter for talks
with Beijing, which has been giving support to Burma.
A source said the Wa's 90-million-baht road project was meant to facilitate
transport of goods to their Mong Yawn town, which has been made difficult since
last year by Thailand's closure of the San Ton Du checkpoint in Mae Ai district,
Chiang Mai.
Several northern border areas, now being held either by the Red Wa, Burmese
government troops or the Shan State Army, have become major sources and
smuggling routes of methamphetamines, especially those destined for
Thailand.
The Nation - July 19,
2000.
China urged to put heat on Burma PRIME Minister Chuan Leekpai yesterday urged Beijing to persuade Rangoon to
make serious efforts to eradicate its vast drug manufacturing and smuggling
trade.
Chuan and visiting Chinese Vice-President Hu Jintao agreed on an alliance
to combat the widening drug problem which they said is doing great harm to
neighbouring nations, particularly Thailand, government spokesman Akapol
Sorasuchart said.
An informed source told The Nation last night that both countries would
also cooperage in intelligence exchanges related to drug smuggling.
Hu, who had earlier visited Burma, told Chuan that China offered to assist
the Burmese minorities in crop substitution programmes such as growing sugar
instead of opium. But Beijing considers the drug problem involving the United Wa
State Army (UWSA) a matter of Burmese internal affairs that should be solved by
Rangoon.
Chuan briefed Hu about the visit to Chiang Mai last year by Chairman of the
State Peace and Development Council Than Shwe, who pledged to help Thailand
tackle the drug flow from across the Thai border under the UWSA group.
But the flow of drugs, especially methamphetamine tablets, has increased
exponentially in Northern Thailand.
Intelligence reports surfaced earlier this year revealing that Beijing had
pressured Rangoon to relocate Wa villagers living in the eastern part of Burma's
Shan State away from the Chinese border which has been deluged with drug
smuggling from the area.
Then Rangoon allowed the Wa to move their bases and drug refineries closer
to the Thai border, raising fears that the flow of drugs from Burma into
Thailand will increase.
Akapol quoted Chuan as saying he hoped China could help persuade Rangoon to
be more pro-active in solving the problem.
In another interview, Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said that, in asking
China's help, Thailand was not asking Beijing to pressure Rangoon.He said
Thailand has always discussed the issue with Burma at every level of discussion
and on every available occasion.
Thailand is very concerned with the amount of drug smuggling into the
country and has identified about 50 factories along the Thai-Burmese border that
produce the methamphetamine tablets, known as yaa-baa.
How to combat drug smuggling throughout the region will be high on the
agenda of the ministerial meeting to be held here next week.
Chuan and Hu praised the increase in trade between China and Thailand.
Since the two countries established diplomatic relations on July 1, 1975,
two-way trade has surged by 200 per cent. The two countries are planning to
invest billions of baht in reforestation and paper mill projects.
During a luncheon reception yesterday, Chuan said he was very happy to see
more Chinese enterprises engaged in Thailand's infrastructure construction
projects. Chinese companies are building dam projects in Nakorn Nayok and Nakorn
Sithammarat, and the Rama 8 Menam River bridge.
Chuan said Thailand and China will be more active in enhancing bilateral
Cupertino in a multilateral framework, including Asean-China and Mekong
sub-regional Cupertino.
The prime minister also reaffirmed Thailand's commitment to Beijing's One
China policy. All Asean countries have followed this policy but, like other
Asean members, Thailand has maintained economic and cultural links with Taiwan.
Chuan, who left for Tokyo last night to attend a brainstorming session with
leaders of the G-8, told Hu that he will urge the G-8 leaders to reduce the gap
between developed and developing countries.
He said that given the current globalisation, international trade should be
fair and equal. Powerful nations should not put pressure upon the weaker
countries, he said, but should sympathise with them, according to spokesman
Akapol.
In his arrival speech, Hu praised Sino-Thai relations as a model of
peaceful coexistence and mutual benefit that proves how countries with different
socio-political systems can learn to cooperage.
However, he said the Cupertino was facing a new challenge in the coming
century. With the joint effort of both nations, he said, mutual trust and
Cupertino will allow a better path of benefit not only for the people of
Thailand and China but also for regional peace and development.
Hu and his wife had an audience with Their Majesties the King and Queen at
Hua Hin Krai Kangwol Palace.
Her Majesty the Queen will make an historic visit to China from October
9-23, becoming the highest-ranking Royal Family member to visit the communist
country.
The Chinese delegation will tour the northern ancient city of Chiang Mai
tomorrow before leaving for Indonesia on Saturday morning.
BY SA-NGUAN KHUMRUNGROJ
The Nation - July 19,
2000.
God's Army: Persecution of 'the ghosts in the jungle' PEOPLE are still talking about God's Army. What is this attraction to and
mystique about God's Army? Ironically, the truth is actually more fascinating
than all the rumours, gossip, and speculation.
In the Tennaserim River valley in Burma's Tennaserim Division (Ta-now-see
in Thai), the Karen people have lived for years in one of the most
self-sufficient cultures in the world. Burma was to the west and Siam to the
east, but most Karens never went to either place.
Eventually, the Karen insurgency - starting in urban, lower and central
Burma - spread to their area. But the insurgents were Karen, spoke Karen,
organised Karen festivals and cultural activities, and only really requested a
few baskets of paddy tax each year and a place to stay and eat during their
travels. So the two groups got along; yet it would be naïve to extrapolate from
this to say the Karens here actually supported the "revolution", or any other
modern political doctrine.
The Burmese, both army and people, on the other hand, were objects of
horror and terror in many local stories. At a young age, you learn that the
Burmese are bad, they kill and burn, and you run if ever the Burmese come. The
Karen insurgents held the territory safe for many years, and the Karen people of
the Tennaserim River valley carried on with their lives.
After the Thai authorities and businessmen and the Burmese authorities and
their financiers, together with some Karen leaders who sold out, made economic
deals - specifically concerning the Bong Ti-Tavoy road and Thailand's Western
Seaboard project - the Burmese army was able to race into the Tennaserim River
valley in 1997.
The Karen insurgent force retreated and the area was taken over; most
people ran into the jungle, others to Thailand as refugees, while many villagers
were shot and killed. The Burmese army troops burned all the houses and rice
stores in any Karen village they came to. The villagers here have always grown
up with guns and are very familiar with living, hunting, sleeping and eating in
these jungles. When the force that was to protect them had abandoned them, and a
foreign armed force had come into their homeland and terrorised them, their only
legitimate reaction was to fight back.
With consideration not to over-simplify, and noting that most villagers do
not speak Burmese, do not listen to BBC radio broadcasts, and are not considered
politically astute by any measure, this appears more to be a territorial war,
and not a political war for democracy or even Karen nationalism. Because the
Tennaserim River valley villagers who took up arms can move like ghosts in the
jungle, live and sleep (and ambush) anywhere, they have quickly developed a
mystique among the Burmese army frontline soldiers.
In addition to this, these villagers were originally animist and later had
some exposure to Buddhism, yet somewhat "converted" to Christianity about 100
years ago. This wonderful mixture of religious diversity, based on their own
communalism and ecology and pitted against individualism and materialism,
created the conditions for something like the Htoo twins to arise. It should not
be surprising really. The twins actually did have some "visions" that proved to
be "true", and the militia snowballed from there. The villagers of the
Tennaserim River valley actually had a discussion and voted on what to call
their newly-formed militia. God won out over Buddha and a diverse array of
nature gods.
They actually have held the Burmese army at bay on many fronts, creating a
low-grade, prolonged guerrilla war situation in the dense mountain jungles. But
the Burmese army did finally reach their main base, Kamerplaw, and tried to
attack, and lost. The only way in was through Thai territory. The Burmese army
attacked God's Army, the Burmese army withdrew, and the Karen soldiers laid
landmines to prevent a second attack. The Thai army heard the gunfire and later
went to investigate and Thai soldiers ended up stepping on the landmines
intended for the Burmese. Yes, it was in Thailand because that's where the
Burmese army troops attacked from.
So, with the Thai army angry, and with God's Army supposedly still holding
the Vigorous Student Warriors of the Bangkok Burmese embassy fame in their
territory, the Thai army started to shell Kamerplaw. Radio reports indicated at
least 50 villager casualties. Mortars blew away grass and bamboo lean-tos from
two-three kilometres away. But God's Army could not understand this for they
have never had any conflict with Thailand, and most have never even been there.
First, they pleaded fruitlessly for the Thai army to stop the shelling. But
later they convinced God's Army that they needed international attention (ie
CNN) for their cause. The student warriors would help. They took the Burmese
embassy, so why not some Thai government building? Some dissident Karen
insurgent troops had also already joined God's Army, and they were trained and
frustrated.
Therefore, under some type of misinformed concession by God's Army, these
bold, jungle-trained, soldiers came into Thailand looking for a target, and
stupidly chose the Ratchaburi Hospital, clearly showing their ignorance of any
internationally accepted ethics in waging war. (Of course, in fighting against
the Burmese army, they have never seen any ethics in war). That force of 10 was
likely about seven or eight Burmese of the Vigorous Student Warriors and two or
three dissident Karen insurgent commandos. But it is very difficult to picture
even one Tennaserim river valley villager in the group. Why would a jungle
villager go to fight in an urban centre, to risk his life in a foreign place for
some ideal still unclear?
God's Army are just villagers, and not a trained terrorist force. They are
not interested in Thailand and have no contention with Thailand, except when
Thai forces lob bombs at them. They do not have modern weapons. All their
weaponry is either their 20 to 30-year-old hunting rifles or weapons abandoned
by Karen insurgents or stolen on raids on Burmese troops. The landmines? They
could only initially come from two sources: the Thai army or the Burmese army.
To say that God's Army is involved in, or even capable of, any planned attacks
on anything in Thailand is absurd. Furthermore, anyone using these speculations
in any media statements is only attempting to use God's Army for their own
political or witch-hunt purposes.
Leave God's Army alone. We do not necessarily have to support them, yet we
also can, at the very least, understand their reasons and take a deeper look at
the root causes of all this suffering. But to stir rumours and mock these
Tennaserim river valley villagers is also an insult to a beautiful culture and
people, unique in Burma and the world, caught in a horrible situation. To
exterminate them under another's political and/or economic agenda is a sad
crime. Let their 100 or more people, with 90 or so guns, fight for their
beautiful land.
BY CALVIN LI
The Nation
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The author has been living and working with the Karen people for over eight
years, especially on natural resource and development issues. He contributed
this article to The Nation.
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