To Hopeland and Back: The 27th trip
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Gen N’Ban La, Vice Chairman
of the
Kachin Independence Organization (KIO)
(Photo:kachinland)
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Yes, I should have written
this two weeks ago. I wanted to, too. But I was bedridden with flu, and as a
result has surrendered completely to the ministrations of my wife, who used to
be a nurse. Thanks to her, I’m back in shape to write this journal. My hope is the data I’ll be providing here is
not outdated.
The trip was the result of a meeting between Gen
N’Ban La, Vice Chairman of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and
Chairman of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), and Gen Mutu
Saypoe, Chairman of the Karen National Union (KNU) and leader of the signatory
Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) on 20 January. The two agreed that better
understanding between the signatories and the non-signatories of the Nationwide
Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) was the key to closer cooperation between them.
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Gen Mutu Saypoe, Chairman of
the Karen
National Union (KNU) (Photo:chinlandnews)
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The plan later included meeting with the United Wa
State Party/Army (UWSP/UWSA) on our way back from Laiza. At that time, the
delegation was totally unaware of the pending “third summit” in Pangkham (the
official name of the Wa capital Panghsang) where prominent non-signatory EAOs
would be invited.
The delegation was made up of 6 KNU representatives,
2 Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) advisors, who
together with retired Col Htoo Htoo Lay from KNU, later were appointed as PPST
advisers.
The following, in a condensed form, is the report on
what took place between 12-19 February.
Day One. Sunday, 12 February 2017
Four of us: Gen Mutu, myself, and our two assistants
take a delayed flight by China Eastern Airline to Kunming this evening. The
other 5, who flew from Rangoon/Yangon yesterday, are already there.
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Author, his
Thai friend, Gen Mutu Saypoe and
assistant Saw Marcus at Chiangmai airport
before departure. (Photo: PI)
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It takes only two minutes,
on arrival, for the Chinese immigration officials to decide I’m worth an entry
stamp. But another half hour to decide we are not carrying any nuclear weapons.
It was the same procedure the last time we came in July 2016. The security
system is tight even for domestic flights.
We are then welcomed by officials from the Yunnan
foreign department officials, one of whom speaks fluent Burmese. He tells us we
will be meeting Mr. Sun Guoxiang, special envoy to Myanmar, tomorrow morning.
By the time we arrive at the hotel it is already
22:30.
(To be continued)
Tags: Opinion
