Day Two: (21 January 2014)

Today the conference is doing the NCCT’s job: going through the draft NCA read out yesterday by it. It could have been (it was too) a boring day, were it not for some of the gems (meaning information and suggestions) brought in by some of the participants.

The unexpected biggest debate was on whether “revolutionary” should be added to the Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs). The NCCT, assigned with a diplomatic mission, was understandably ready to pass it up as requested by the UPWC. But, equally understandably, the majority of the discussants would not let it give up.

Here are some of their arguments:

• EAO may well mean we are armed drug traffickers or criminals.
• We can let it go if the Burma Army withdraws its troops.
• Revolution means making it right where there is no right. It should therefore be used.
• We called it a revolution because we were ready to keep at it until the rights given by Panglong are honored

“We could have suggested ‘Resistance’, ‘Liberation’ or ‘Freedom’ as options,” one former diplomat said. “But I doubt they would have accepted them.”

I also remembered that in 1991, the Tai (Shan State) Revolutionary Council (SSRC) was renamed Shan State Restoration Council, because sympathizers both far and near were saying that “Revolution” had become a bad word in the Western world.

Meanwhile Maj Gen Gun Maw, deputy NCCT chief, reported that the Pa-an meeting with the UPWC had been, for the second time, adjourned to between 20-28 February.

Hkun Myint Tun, President of the PaO National Liberation Organization (PNLO), also reported his meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi in Pa-an on 18 January, 4 days earlier. “I had invited her to the Law Khee Lar conference,” he recounted. “Her reply was: her NLD (National League for Democracy) has always stood for federalism. But she wouldn’t want to be here just for an a-hla htaing (beauty sitting). That she wanted to know if the conference had some job in mind for her to do.”

I remember myself smiling when I heard him saying “a-hla htaing”. I’m still smiling when I write it. Because despite her age, she is still mighty good looking. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have her here.

Another debate was on the NCCT proposition that all armed groups must sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) ‘simultaneously’ which is unquestionably a tall order.
Mahn Nyein Maung, the Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army (KNU/KNLA) representative, expressed his doubts about it. “During the NDF (National Democratic Front, the now largely dormant alliance) days, we had made a solemn vow to negotiate with Rangoon together,” he reminded the conference. “In the end, each group went to conclude separate deals, leaving the KNU alone to face 170 infantry battalions (in 1994-95).”

Ms Zipporah Sein, the KNU’s vice chairperson, did her best later to ease off the embarrassment shared among the participants by downplaying her colleague’s comments.

Maybe it helped. Because no one was mentioning it again throughout today’s session.
But both the proposition and his comment continued to stick in my mind until it was bed time.

I was still thinking about them when I fell asleep.