Shan State government move to cancel youth conference
The Shan State government
has made a last-minute move to cancel a five-day ethnic youth conference, citing
the
possibility of a negative impact on the upcoming 21st Century Panglong Convention (21CPC).
One of the organizers
of the National Ethnic Youth Conference, Sai Aung Myint Oo of the Shan Youth
Network, confirmed that they received an official letter yesterday evening signed
by Dr. Aung Than Maung, the Burman Shan State Minister of Ethnic Affairs, requesting
that the youth forum be suspended.
The National Ethnic Youth Conference is scheduled to be held in the town of Panglong, 100 kilometers
east of Shan State capital Taunggyi, on July 27–31.
“All the
representatives have already arrived in Panglong,” said Sai Aung Myint Oo.
“The
meeting will carry on as scheduled because we are working for the Union. We
don’t
have any weapons. We are working
peacefully in accordance with the law.”
The conference itinerary
includes talks on peace-building
and federalism, and has gathered 600
ethnic representatives from across Burma, including Arakanese, Akha, Burman,
Chin, Danu, Dawei, Intha, Kachin, Kadu, Kanan Karen, Karenni, Kokang, Lahu,
Mon, Myaung Zee, Naga, Shan, Pa-O, Palaung (Ta’ang), Taung Yoe, Wa, and Yaw.
Next week sees the
restart of peace talks, the so-called 21CPC, between the government, the
Burmese military, and ethnic armed groups. The meeting is slated to take place
in Mai Ja Yang in Kachin State. The 21CPC is a continuation of political
dialogue initiated by the previous Thein Sein administration; however the new
government, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, says it intends maintaining the momentum
of the peace process.
Speaking to Shan
Herald, youth conference organizer Sai Aung Myint Oo said, “We have been planning
this ethnic youth conference for many years. Because of the preliminary meeting
in Mai Ja Yang, and the 21CPC that will follow in late August – to be attended
by State Councillor Aung San Su Kyi – the Shan State government tried to
dissuade us from holding the forum. They said they were worried our conference
would affect the peace talks.
Sai Aung Myint Oo
defended the youth conference, saying, “What we are doing, we do for national unity.”
The organizing
committee for the National Ethnic
Youth Conference said it had confirmed
permission for the event three times, the final time being last week on July
22.
Sai Aung Myint Oo said
that since receiving the letter last night, he had requested a meeting in
person with the Shan State chief minister, but was denied.
He said that Panglong was
chosen as a venue for the forum via a democratic vote by representatives of the
ethnic youth groups, a decision which also factored in travel expenses and
organizing costs.
The
Coordination Committee for National Ethnic Youth Conference (CCNEYC) was
initiated in June 2012, and has since sat for several meetings. In October 2014,
they held a conference in northern Shan State which led to the formation of a committee
to implement the national-level conference which is due to begin tomorrow.
The Shan town of
Panglong is famous in recent Burmese history as the seat of negotiations in
1947 between Burman and ethnic leaders in preparation for independence from
Great Britain.
By: Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
Tags: News, Politics
