To Hopeland and Back: Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee Meets, Continued
From 29-31
October, the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee (JMC) members from both sides
met at the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) on Shweli Lane off 4 Wisara Road,
Rangoon.
My job is to
render assistance and advice when the EAO’s representatives—particularly those
from the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S)—need
it.
Friday,
30 October 2015
The best
conqueror does not need to do battle.
From Dao De Jing, by Lao Zi, whose
philosophy reportedly forms the basis for Sun Tzu’s The Art of War
On October 15, after
the NCA signing, I called on Sai Kham Leik, the Shans’ celebrated songwriter,
and his wife Dr Nwe Tin. We were old friends during my school days in Mandalay,
46 years ago.
He showed me the
lyrics the new song he had just written in honor of the peace process. The
title at once catches my eyes and conquered my heart:
“Draw equals win-win”
I wake up remembering
it and make up my mind to talk about it in my planned speech.
It never comes. The
two sides decide there will only be closing remarks at the end of the meeting
tomorrow.
Half of the day is
spent re-reading the COC draft agreed upon yesterday and straightening out the
language.
Later in the day we
discuss the JMC-S (State/Region level).
·
On the JMC-S for Rakhine State, it is agreed
to refer the decision to the JICM meeting on 16-17 November.
·
On the JMC-Ss for the KNU/KNLA and the
RCSS/SSA, the government explains that one regional commander is designated as
the focal/contact point for dealing with each EAO, which has nothing to do with
regrouping the EAO units inside one regional command area.
So the
misunderstandings are finally cleared. All the same, it is made known that the
final decision will be coming from the corresponding EAOs.
The meeting also
agrees that the civilian vice-chairperson of the JMC should preferably be a
woman.
The tough nut to
crack is the TOR (Terms of Reference) for the JMC. While the negotiation over
the CoC took only half of a day, we learn the TOR will take us more than a
day—in fact, several days, which is understandable, because while the CoC deals
only with “Do’s and Don’ts,” the TOR is dealing with “How To.”
We hold a dinner
party today, not knowing whether or not we will have time to do it tomorrow.
I chat with one of
the BSO (Bureau of Special Operations) chiefs, Lt-Gen Min Naung, who tells me
he’s three-quarters Shan from Homalin (Hom
Mark Lang means “Jack Tree Shade” in Shan). He used to be the commander at
the Central Eastern Region Command. He says he’s a great friend to Maj Deving,
the RCSS/SSA-S’s liaison officer there, but a greater friend to Wanhai, the
headquarters of the RCSS’s brother organization, Shan State Progress Party/Shan
State Army-North (SSPP/SSA-N).
“I had tried to meet
Gen. Pang Fa (leader of the SSPP/SSA-N), but somehow he was not able to meet
me,” he said. “So the relationship between us has not greatly developed as it
should be.”
On my way back, one
thing occurs or, to be precise, reoccurs to me. I ask myself why it is called “Bureau
of Special Operations,” whose initials are BSO, and not “Special Operations
Bureau.” Well, I smile to myself, the same thing must have occurred to the
Burmese commanders too.
Saturday,
31 October 2015
Those who
come seeking peace without a treaty are plotting.
From The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Today, a lot has been
decided. Also a lot is left undecided, pending the JMC-2 on 13-14 November.
Decisions include:
·
Lt.-Gen. Ya Pyay - Chairman
Maj.-Gen.
Isaac Po - Vice Chairman #1 (#2 will be a civilian)
Secretary
#1 - Dr Sui Khar
Secretary
#2 - Col Wunna Aung (Kokang battle
veteran)
There are
ten members on each side. Known NCA veterans include, on the government side:
Lt.-Gen. Ye Aung, retired Lt.-Gen. Myint Soe, Dr. Min Zaw Oo and U Khin Maung Soe;
and (on the EAO side) Ta Do Moo.
·
Lt.-Gen. Ye Aung is designated as an
alternate chairman, when or if Lt.-Gen. Ya Pyay is unable to perform his duties.
·
Military CoC is adopted
·
There will be two civilian representatives
from each side in the JMC-S (State/Region level)
·
Each JMC-S will form Verification Teams (VTs)
to verify alleged violations
·
The JMC will be responsible for implementing the
rehabilitation of refugees and IDPs until special committees are formed to deal
with the matter
During the afternoon
coffee break (tea break for me), I am given a copy of the reply from the United
Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) to the EAOs’ leader Padoh Kwe Htoo Win.
The two-page letter
can be condensed to two points:
The
non-signatories will not join the signatories in drafting the Framework for
Political Dialogue (FPD) and CoC, or working together in forming the JMCs and
holding political dialogue (PD), because:
1.
The signatories had held the JICM and formed
the JMC and UPDJC before consulting with the non-signatories
2.
Cooperation with the signatories can be only
considered at the UNFC CEC meeting
The implication seems
to be quite clear: there might be no cooperation between the two camps from now
on.
This comes right
after the invitation by the UWSP/UWSA to the non-signatories for a meeting at
its Sino-Burmese stronghold, Panghsang (officially renamed Pan Kham) on 1-3
November.
The big question mark
now is: Is there going to be a new, pro-Chinese alliance?
This is followed by
smaller, but not less critical, questions:
·
If so, how will the Americans react to it?
·
Will there be an anti-Chinese alliance led by
Naypyitaw?
·
And how will the EAOs respond to it?
·
What’s happening? Is what we are doing
ostensibly for peace, but really for war?
I return to Green
Hill, trying to comfort myself with the words from my teacher:
Speak or
act with a pure mind
And
happiness will follow you
As your
shadow, unshakable
But I tell you. It’s
not easy.
Sunday,
1 November 2015
The task
of a military operation is to accord deceptively with the intentions of the
enemy.
From The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Today is the EAOs’
review session, where they discuss the timeline before the JMC-2, (13-14
November, in Naypyitaw) and at least two other matters:
·
Timeline:
5-7
November EAOs’ JMC meeting in Chiang Mai
8-10
November EAOs’ ‘summit’ also in Chiang Mai
·
The role of foreign governments and
international organizations which, according to Paragraph 12 (C) of the NCA,
will be “involved in the ongoing peace process, either as observers, advisors
or to provide necessary technical assistance at different levels of the Joint Monitoring
Committee.”
·
The proposal by the military to include the
Security Sector Reform/Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (SSR/DDR)
in the JMC’s job description
All decide that the
last two issues will be referred to the ‘summit.’
Anyway, I’m back to
Chiang Mai on the next day.
My son, who is at the
airport to pick me up, later counts the reimbursements in Burmese currency for
my expenses during the last four trips I have made, and say I’m now a proud
millionaire.
“How much?” I ask
him. He replies it’s about 1.3 million kyat, the equivalent of $1,000.
So I’m a millionaire
now, but not a rich man.
By Sai Khuensai /
Director of Pyidaungsu Institute and Founder of Shan Herald Agency for News
(S.H.A.N)
Tags: Opinion
