To Hopeland and back (Part II) #3
At 9:30 we were driven to the President’s Ledaw Sakhan (Camp Paddy Field) and taken to his air-conditioned field hut. “The same place he received Gen Mutu Sayphoe (of KNU),” one of the escorts informed us. “Chairman Yawdserk is the second ethnic leader he’s entertaining here.”
At 10:00 President Thein Sein arrived, received by his honored guest who presented him with a Buddha image and helped him put on a Shan jacket in place of the Burmese jacket he had gracefully shed.
President
Thein Sein, right, is helped to wear a Shan traditional cloth presented
to him by Lt. Gen. Ywet Sitt, left, leader of the Shan State Army
(SSA), prior to their meeting in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Monday, June 10,
2013. (Photo: AP)
The meeting lasted 45 minutes and what follows here is the gist of it:
Yawdserk
You are the leader that opened up the doors of the country that had been closed since 1962. For this, we admire you. We are ready to cooperate with you to achieve peace. There’s no other way to achieve it except through cooperation. Therefore, do let us know how we can help.
We are also encouraged to hear that ethnic military units should be formed. We are ready to cooperate with you in forming union armed forces.
Issues he raised include:
- People living in exile in Thailand and other countries
- Continued fighting despite the ceasefire signed since 2 December 2011
- Provisions of livelihood sources for members and dependents of his movement
- To render assistance in the public consultations initiated by the RCSS so as to ease the worries of the people
President
The solution to the war that has lasted more than 60 years can be sought only through peaceful means. Evidently it cannot be resolved by way of arms.
We have differences. But we also share similarities such as:
- We don’t want this country to disintegrate
- We don’t want our solidarity to disintegrate
- We don’t want to lose our sovereignty
- We became independent through the signing of the Panglong Agreement (There is as yet no safeguard to ethnic nationalities rights. The issue is being addressed in the parliament)
- Where we are similar, we work together. Where we are different, we work together to find a solution. This is the new culture we have to foster
- We should all live together under the law adopted by the majority
- On exiles
We welcome everyone who wishes to return.
For those who have yet to have national ID cards, we will provide them.
As for those who have acquired foreign
citizenship, they will be given national ID cards after they have
renounced their foreign citizenships
- On continued fighting
Please select first priority, second priority and third priority areas for resettlement, and present it to us for consideration.
We agree there should be a peace monitoring group. It should be made up of 10 members, 5 from each side:
| Government | RCSS |
| 1 from government | 1 from RCSS |
| 1 from Tatmadaw | 1 from SSA |
| 1 each from regional commands in Shan State | 1 each from regional commands in Shan State |
More liaison offices should be opened if necessary.
- Provision of livelihood sources
Please set up business companies to address the matter
- Others
For the elderly, they should set up parties, enter elections and become government if elected.
For middle age members, they should engage in businesses and support the organization from the proceeds
For young members, they can continue to serve in the military.
However, there should be a separation between political parties and armed organizations.
At 15:00-16:30, we had a meeting with government ministers, where excerpts from the President’s speech were distributed and explained to them by U Aung Min to be used as guidelines in dealing with issues presented by the RCSS.
They include ministers for mining, population and immigration, electric power, animal husbandry and home affairs. Another meeting was scheduled for the next day to discuss in detail with departmental heads concerned.
Vice
President Sai Mawk Kham and Lt-Gen. Yawdserk at Yadanartheinkha Hotel
in Naypyitaw for dinner, on 10 June 2013 (Photo: Facebook/Jastin Minn)
At 19:00, Vice President Sai Mawk Kham, a Shan from Muse, held a dinner party in honor of the RCSS delegation.
I was seated next to Lt-Gen Yawdserk on my left and Lt-Gen Ko Ko, home minister, on my right. On Yawdserk’s left was the Vice President and on Ko Ko’s right was Lt-Gen Aung Than Tut, Chief of Bureau of Special Operations #2, who oversees military operations in Shan and Kayah states.
The Vice President opened the party with words exhorting, “It’s time the unfinished painting since independence, Peace, be done. This golden opportunity should not be missed.”
When he returned to his seat, he told us about his attendance to the World Economic Forum, 5-7 June, right in Naypyitaw. “The message from the forum was clear: No peace, no investment.”
He did not elaborate. But I thought his message to the RCSS was that the government has a bigger stake in the peace process than any other stakeholders.
After I got back to my room, I was given two paper bags containing presents from the President and the Vice President. Naturally, I went through them and found out they were longyis and shirts. Having not worn the Burmese sarongs for more than 40 years when living among rural Shans for whom a longyi is a representation of something they don’t like, I wondered what I was supposed to do with them.
Tags: Opinion
