When United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton completed her visit to Myanmar on December 2, the diplomatic exchange offered a glimpse of hope for the traditionally military-run country's reform prospects. The high-level visit was widely viewed as diplomatic acknowledgement of the immense changes that President Thein Sein has undertaken since taking office in March. With the international community focused on his government's reform pledges, will Thein Sein move next to bring a conclusive end to six decades of civil war with ethnic minority groups?
Ethnic minority ceasefire groups, some fighting on and off against the government for over six decades, mostly refused to lay down their arms and become part of government commanded "Border Guard Forces" (BGF) as mandated in the 2008 constitution. Despite the ceasefires, instability and violence continued in many border and remote areas because there was no mechanism to involve ethnic groups in the political process. Under the BGF scheme, these groups would have been forced to give up their hopes for autonomy without any government guarantee for political inclusion.
Ethnic minority groups may now be characterized into three distinct groups: those that accepted the BGF scheme; those who had a ceasefire with the government but refused to become BGF; and those that remained at war with the government without a ceasefire. Of the last two groups, the former include Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the Shan State Army-North, and the New Mon State Party (NMSP) all declined the BGF scheme. The latter group of those at war includes the Shan State Army-South, the Karen Nation Union (KNU), the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), and the Chin National Front (CNF).
There are certain indications that the government has learned from its past mistakes and is now focusing more genuinely on national reconciliation with ethnic groups, as professed in the last step of the previous junta's Seven Step Roadmap to Democracy. The authorities have withdrawn the earlier BGF concept and opened new political dialogue with many ethnic groups. Over the weekend of November 19-20, Rail Transportation Minister and Thein Sein close ally Aung Min met with the presidents of ethnic groups in a bid to break the deadlock and open dialogue towards peace negotiations.
Aung Min reportedly ensured ethnic group leaders of socio-economic development in their respective, often impoverished regions, a role for their group's in the newly established parliament, and that the new constitution could be amended to meet their agreed demands. After the meetings, Aung Min indicated plans to convene a "tri-partite dialogue" that will include the government, the political opposition and ethnic groups. This followed on Thein Sein's comments about the possibility of charter change made at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit earlier this year.
"There may be points that are not suitable or acceptable to them [ethnic groups] and need to be amended," Thein Sein said at the summit. "Once the constitution is acceptable to them, weapons will no longer be an issue."
Tentative truces
Ethnic groups have so far responded positively to the overtures. The SSA-S, one of Myanmar's largest armed rebel groups that never agreed to a ceasefire, recently agreed to lay down its arms. The CNF reached a similar agreement with the government that apparently will be made official in January. The KNU approved a ceasefire "in principle", which still needs to be ratified by its central committee, while the KNPP recently agreed to enter into peace talks with the Kayah State government.
The KIO remains pitched in fierce fighting with government forces in areas near the Chinese border, but has reportedly agreed to meet government negotiators for informal discussions. The NMSP and the SSA-N remain hold-outs, with no progress reported in tentative talks. However some analysts predict these groups, too, will eventually follow suit in light of the goodwill the government has demonstrated in pursuit of peace towards other major ethnic groups.
Official overtures to ethnic groups have not come empty-handed. According to the Shan Herald, a news agency run by ethnic Shan exiles in Thailand, soon after the ethnic Wa signed a new ceasefire agreement with Naypyidaw in early September new business and investment poured into the region, with new hotels and stores reportedly under construction. One Shan quoted in the report said the traffic in the famously remote and underdeveloped region during the Shan New Year "Reminds me of Bangkok during the rush hour".
Some analysts believe that Thein Sein's surprise decision to suspend the China-backed Myitsone dam project in the Kachin State demonstrates a new government sensitivity to grassroots sentiments. The International Crisis Group, for one, recently reported that "the authorities allowed an unusually free debate on the issue to take place in public". Public criticism of the government was met with heavy consequences under the outgoing ruling junta, but a recent loosening of media censorship and new law allowing for public protests point towards a more democratic future in Myanmar.
During Clinton's visit, Myanmar officials asked that a World Bank assessment team be allowed to visit the country and for US technical advise for economic reforms. After decades of failed economic policies that have impoverished the population and sparked anti-government protests, including the 2007 "Saffron" revolution that ended in bloodshed, Thein Sein's request for external assistance represents a hopeful new direction for the country.
Since the 2010 elections - against widespread skepticism about the prospects for change - Thein Sein's government has taken major, bold steps towards achieving national reconciliation. Recognizing the need to establish a political dialogue with ethnic minority groups, canceling the controversial BGF scheme and investing in socio-economic infrastructure in ethnic minority areas points towards a new democratic direction and an eventual end to war in Myanmar.
Ethnic minority ceasefire groups, some fighting on and off against the government for over six decades, mostly refused to lay down their arms and become part of government commanded "Border Guard Forces" (BGF) as mandated in the 2008 constitution. Despite the ceasefires, instability and violence continued in many border and remote areas because there was no mechanism to involve ethnic groups in the political process. Under the BGF scheme, these groups would have been forced to give up their hopes for autonomy without any government guarantee for political inclusion.
Ethnic minority groups may now be characterized into three distinct groups: those that accepted the BGF scheme; those who had a ceasefire with the government but refused to become BGF; and those that remained at war with the government without a ceasefire. Of the last two groups, the former include Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the Shan State Army-North, and the New Mon State Party (NMSP) all declined the BGF scheme. The latter group of those at war includes the Shan State Army-South, the Karen Nation Union (KNU), the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), and the Chin National Front (CNF).
There are certain indications that the government has learned from its past mistakes and is now focusing more genuinely on national reconciliation with ethnic groups, as professed in the last step of the previous junta's Seven Step Roadmap to Democracy. The authorities have withdrawn the earlier BGF concept and opened new political dialogue with many ethnic groups. Over the weekend of November 19-20, Rail Transportation Minister and Thein Sein close ally Aung Min met with the presidents of ethnic groups in a bid to break the deadlock and open dialogue towards peace negotiations.
Aung Min reportedly ensured ethnic group leaders of socio-economic development in their respective, often impoverished regions, a role for their group's in the newly established parliament, and that the new constitution could be amended to meet their agreed demands. After the meetings, Aung Min indicated plans to convene a "tri-partite dialogue" that will include the government, the political opposition and ethnic groups. This followed on Thein Sein's comments about the possibility of charter change made at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit earlier this year.
"There may be points that are not suitable or acceptable to them [ethnic groups] and need to be amended," Thein Sein said at the summit. "Once the constitution is acceptable to them, weapons will no longer be an issue."
Tentative truces
Ethnic groups have so far responded positively to the overtures. The SSA-S, one of Myanmar's largest armed rebel groups that never agreed to a ceasefire, recently agreed to lay down its arms. The CNF reached a similar agreement with the government that apparently will be made official in January. The KNU approved a ceasefire "in principle", which still needs to be ratified by its central committee, while the KNPP recently agreed to enter into peace talks with the Kayah State government.
The KIO remains pitched in fierce fighting with government forces in areas near the Chinese border, but has reportedly agreed to meet government negotiators for informal discussions. The NMSP and the SSA-N remain hold-outs, with no progress reported in tentative talks. However some analysts predict these groups, too, will eventually follow suit in light of the goodwill the government has demonstrated in pursuit of peace towards other major ethnic groups.
Official overtures to ethnic groups have not come empty-handed. According to the Shan Herald, a news agency run by ethnic Shan exiles in Thailand, soon after the ethnic Wa signed a new ceasefire agreement with Naypyidaw in early September new business and investment poured into the region, with new hotels and stores reportedly under construction. One Shan quoted in the report said the traffic in the famously remote and underdeveloped region during the Shan New Year "Reminds me of Bangkok during the rush hour".
Some analysts believe that Thein Sein's surprise decision to suspend the China-backed Myitsone dam project in the Kachin State demonstrates a new government sensitivity to grassroots sentiments. The International Crisis Group, for one, recently reported that "the authorities allowed an unusually free debate on the issue to take place in public". Public criticism of the government was met with heavy consequences under the outgoing ruling junta, but a recent loosening of media censorship and new law allowing for public protests point towards a more democratic future in Myanmar.
During Clinton's visit, Myanmar officials asked that a World Bank assessment team be allowed to visit the country and for US technical advise for economic reforms. After decades of failed economic policies that have impoverished the population and sparked anti-government protests, including the 2007 "Saffron" revolution that ended in bloodshed, Thein Sein's request for external assistance represents a hopeful new direction for the country.
Since the 2010 elections - against widespread skepticism about the prospects for change - Thein Sein's government has taken major, bold steps towards achieving national reconciliation. Recognizing the need to establish a political dialogue with ethnic minority groups, canceling the controversial BGF scheme and investing in socio-economic infrastructure in ethnic minority areas points towards a new democratic direction and an eventual end to war in Myanmar.
David Henry Poveter, a pseudonym, is an independent strategic analyst
Source: AsiaTimes
