SSPP/SSA to resign from UNFC
The Shan State
Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) has said that it has decided to withdraw
from the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) ethnic alliance.
 |
| General Pang Fa, the chairman of the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) |
“We submitted a
letter of resignation to the UNFC on August 12,” said SSPP/SSA spokesperson Sai
Pong Harn.
News of the Shan
army’s resignation was broadcast on the United Wa State Army’s television channel
on August 19, when Maj-Gen Khun Seng, the vice chairman of the SSPP/SSA, spoke
at a meeting in Pangsang of the newly
formed Federal Political Negotiation Consultative Committee (FPNCC) which comprises:
UWSA; the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO); the Myanmar Nationalities Democratic
Alliance Army (MNDAA); the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA); the Ta’ang
National Liberation Army (TNLA); the Arakan Army (AA); and the SSPP/SSA.
The FPNCC had previously been known
as the Northern Alliance. Several members have been in regular armed conflict
with Burmese government forces in northern Shan State in recent times.
The loss of the SSPP/SSA is the
latest in a series of withdrawals from the UNFC, an ethnic bloc which was
formed in 2011, originally comprising 12 ethnic armed organizations: Karenni
National Progressive Party (KNPP); New Mon State Party (NMSP); SSPP/SSA; Arakan National
Council/Arakan Army (ANC); Lahu
Democratic Union (LDU); KIO; Wa National Organisation (WNO); TNLA;
MNDAA; Chin National Front (CNF); Karen National Union (KNU); and Pa-O National Organization (PNO).
In 2015, five of its members – CNF,
KNU, PNO, TNLA and MNDAA – were suspended; and
then more recently, four members announced their resignations from the bloc: KIO,
WNO, TNLA and MNDAA.
Now, bereft of the SSPP/SSA, only
four of the original UNFC members remain: KNPP, NMSP, LDU and ANC.
Both the UNFC and FPNCC have
remained outside the government’s ongoing peace process; neither bloc has embraced
the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), an accord which specifically excluded
several Northern Alliance members.
Recently, many Burma observers have
noted the apparent shifting sands between the country’s two major ethnic
alliances, with the UNFC apparently waning as the Northern Alliance grows in
strength and influence.
Headed by the most powerful ethnic
army in the country, the 20,000-strong UWSA, the FPNCC considers Beijing a
close confidant.
By Shan Herald Agency for News
(SHAN)
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Burmese military not following terms of NCA, says Gen Yawk Serk
Gen Yawd Serk of the Restoration Council of
Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) says the Burmese military was not
following the terms of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) when Brig-Gen Khin
Zaw, the Burmese military attaché in Bangkok, on Wednesday banned a meeting of
the Committee of Shan State Unity (CSSU) that was due to take place for three
days starting yesterday in Chiang Mai.
The ban was apparently due to the fact that a non-signatory
to the NCA, the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army, or SSPP, had been
invited. The Burmese brigadier-general said that the RCSS/SSA “infringed”
Burma’s election law and endangered the peace process by inviting the SSPP.
“I have my doubts [about the Tatmadaw’s
sincerity] when they accuse us of endangering the peace process,” Gen Yawd Serk
said today at a press conference in the northern Thai capital. “If this is the
case, they should contact our office.
“The military attaché says that the meeting was
to include a non-NCA signatory group. This group is the SSPP. However, it
should be noted that the SSPP regularly attends meetings within the UNFC [United
Nationalities Federal Council, a coalition of ethnic armed groups who declined
to sign the NCA with the government in October 2015].
“So how can this be hindering the peace process
if the UNFC regularly meets with the Tatmadaw and the government?”
He added: “Their accusation is unreasonable. We
were not planning an underground meeting. It was announced officially. I just
don’t understand how this [ban] can happen.”
“This letter [ordering the ban on the meeting] was
sent directly from the Burmese military. But when we asked the government, they
said they didn’t know anything about it.”
The CSSU meeting was slated to be held on July
20-22 in Chiang Mai. Members were to review the recent round of the Union Peace
Conference, dubbed the 21st Century Panglong Conference. The members said the
meeting was intended to improve future peace talks by ensuring there was a common
understanding of the five issues under discussion: political affairs; security matters;
economic affairs; social issues; and land and natural resource management.
RCSS/SSA leader Yawd Serk said that the Burmese
military attaché has overstepped the terms and conditions of the NCA.
“This act affects good will,” said Gen Yawd
Serk. “We are sincere about establishing a peaceful union. That’s why we are working
on the terms of the NCA.”
On
March 4, 2016, Shan Herald reported
that a CSSU meeting in Yangon was also called off after intervention by local
government officials.
The CSSU comprises: Shan political parties;
Shan armed groups; and Shan community-based organizations, including the Shan
State Joint Action Committee (SSJAC), which itself includes the Shan
Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), the Shan Nationalities Democratic
Party (SNDP), the SSPP, the RCSS, the Seng Kiao People’s Militia, the New
Generation Group (Shan State), Shan Youth Association, Shan Nationality
Organization-Thailand.
Gen Yawd Serk is the current head of the CSSU.
Statement of the Committee for Shan State Unity
(CSSU)
20 July, 2017
Members of the CSSU, which includes Shan
political parties, armed organizations, and domestic and international civil
society organizations, had planned to hold a meeting in Thailand on July 20, 2017.
The intention was to review the proceedings of the recently held 3rd
Union Peace Conference in order to improve results in future peace conferences
by ensuring that there is a common understanding of the five issues under
discussion – 1. Political Affairs, 2. Security Matters, 3. Economic Affairs, 4.
Social Issues, and 5. Land and Natural Resources Management
However, on July 19, 2017, the Thai 3rd
Regional Army informed the organizers that the Myanmar Military Attaché
in Bangkok had requested the Thai Government to prevent the CSSU meeting from
taking place. It was claimed that the CSSU was obstructing the Myanmar peace
process and that the membership of the CSSU includes a non-signatory to the Nationwide
Ceasefire Agreement.
Taking into consideration the interests of the
Thai Government and the long-term interests of the peace process, the CSSU
decided that:
1. The CSSU meeting planned for 20-22 July 2017
will not take place;
2. In order to build peace, the Government (of
Myanmar) needs to be broadminded, and if there are any doubts, clarification
should be requested;
3. The planned CSSU meeting was going to
discuss the five issues agreed in the NCA. Therefore the conference was not in
any way obstructing the peace process;
4. The CSSU was established in 2013 to
facilitate peacebuilding in order to establish a federal democratic union. We
will continue to work to achieve our objective.
Committee for Shan State Unity
Contacts:
1. Sao Borng Khur (+66 2896 0970)
2. Sai Nyunt Lwin (+95 7324 1587)
3. Sai Boe Aung (+95 4100 1654)
By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
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Joint Monitoring Committee opens in southern Shan State
The Joint Monitoring Committee opened its first local-level office (JMC-L) in southern Shan State’s Langkhur Township on Wednesday.
Representatives from local government, military officials and the State Level Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC-S) joined nationwide ceasefire groups the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) and Pa-Oh National Liberation Organization (PNLO) for the public launch.
The chairman of the JMC-L is to be commander-in-chief of Langkhur Township, while the RCSS/SSA serves as vice-chairman. The general secretary will be appointed from Langkhur military officials.
Sai Ba Han, a member of JMC-L, said that the office is supported by JMC-S, and will be available to serve the public and deal with their issues.
“These groups are NCA [Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement] signatories,” he said. “The office has been opened to monitor the peace process. Anyone can file a complaint if they are threatened by any armed groups or any other matters.”
He said that the new office will hold meetings with local people in order for them to understand the JMC-L work, adding that next month they plan to meet with local people in Maukmai Township.
National and regional Joint Monitoring Committees were formed after eight ethnic armed groups – the RCSS/SSA; the Karen National Union (KNU); the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA); the Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Party-Peace Council (KNU/KNLA-PC); the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP); the Chin National Front (CNF); the PNLO; and the All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF) – signed the NCA with the Burmese government on 15 October 2015.
The Shan State JMC was established on January 1, 2016. However, to date only four meetings have been held. The first meeting took place on January 9, 2016, in southern Shan State’s Kholam Township, where the headquarters of the Burmese military Central Eastern Command is based.
By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
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By-election winners sworn in at Shan State parliament
Six newly elected MPs – four
representing the Shan Nationalities
League for Democracy (SNLD), one from the National League for Democracy (NLD), and one from the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) – joined three appointed military MPs in swearing oaths as they
took their seats at the Shan State parliament for the first time on Tuesday.
Speaking to Shan
Herald after the assembly session today, Nang Kong Kham, an MP from SNLD
representing Mong Hsu Township Constituency No 2, said that there were some
points she did not agree with.
“In the oath, there
were some points that I didn’t like; however for our nation to heal we must accept
them,” she said. “I found out that there may be rules and laws that do no good
to the general public. They should be disbanded in favour of regulations that
work for the people.”
Sai Linn Myat, the new
SNLD MP representing Mong Hsu Township Constituency No 1, said that as this was
his first parliamentary meeting he listened and observed how the parliament
works.
During the by-election
on April 1, the SNLD won all six seats in the state parliament by-elections,
including two in Kehsi Township, giving it a landslide victory in Shan State. The
ruling NLD won only one state parliament seat, that was in Naungshwe Township.
The USDP won one seat in Kengtung Township.
The SNLD, also known as
Tiger Head Party, won a total of 40 seats in the 2015 election nationwide. It
won 25 seats in the Shan State parliament, second only to the USDP with 33
seats. The NLD came in third with 23 seats. Another 34 seats were automatically
reserved for military representatives.
By Shan Herald Agency
for News
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‘No-secession from Union’ wording dominates 21CPC
The right of secession
from the Union of Myanmar and the drafting of constitutions for individual states and regions were the stumbling blocks at the second round of the Union
Peace Conference, or 21st Century Panglong Conference (21CPC) as it
has been unofficially dubbed.
Speaking to reporters
on Sunday after the official closing ceremony, Suu Kyi addressed the issue of negotiations
between the government’s Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC), ethnic
political parties (EPPs) and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), saying that “in
some cases, negotiations may be smooth and relaxed, but in a different context
they can be rather challenging.”
Also speaking to reporters on Sunday, Khun Myint Tun, the
president of Shan State-based EAO the Pa-O National Liberation Organization
(PNLO), said, “A political discussion
on the wording of ‘no-secession from the union’ dominated this morning’s
session. Obviously, there is a need to seek a neutral terminology that is acceptable
to everyone.
“As controversy widened, we decided to drop it from the
agenda but rescheduled the matter for debate in the next round of the 21CPC.”
However, according to Zaw
Htay, a representative of the government’s Peace Commission (PC) negotiating team,
it would be inappropriate to put a highly controversial subject such as the right
of secession on the negotiation table at this time.
He noted that, at the UPDJC
Secretariat meeting, only 12 of the 21 points for debate had been agreed to
date.
“Of the 21 points on
the agenda for debate, an agreement was made on only 12,” he said at the press
conference. “The main talking point here is that the general public cannot take
many positives from these results. A key issue is whether ethnic states shall
have the right to secede from the Union. Negotiations and counter-negotiations were
made back and forth between the EAOs and the government’s representatives. State
Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi today [May 28] declared that the debate over
the ‘right of secession’ be rescheduled for the forthcoming round of political dialogue
at the UPDJC Secretariat meeting in Naypyidaw.”
A right to secede from
the Union of Burma was written into the original Panglong Agreement in 1947 between
Suu Kyi’s father, Gen. Aung San, who was representing a future Burmese
government, and ethnic leaders.
The 1947 Panglong
Agreement, signed in Panglong, southern Shan State, stated that “all states
shall enjoy equal rights and status; otherwise, after 10 years of Union, the
Constitution of the Union of Burma 1947 guarantees that the right of secession
can be exercised under the clauses: 202; 203(1); and 203(2).”
By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
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Fighting reignites in Kokang region
Fighting
has broken out again between the Burmese army and Kokang rebels near the Sino-Burmese
border. The clashes coincide with a meeting between members of the Northern
Alliance – Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA); Arakan Army (AA); Kachin
Independence Army (KIA); and the Kokang-based Myanmar Nationalities Democratic
Alliance Army (MNDAA) – and the Chinese special representative in Kunming. The
United Wa State Army (UWSA) was also represented at the Kunming talks.
 |
| China’s special representative for Burma, Sun Gunxiang (left) and Bao Youxiang, the leader of the United Wa State Army (UWSA) (right). |
Northern Alliance news sources
report that at 7am on May 11, heavy weapons were used relentlessly to shell MNDAA
bases at Hon-aik in the Kokang region. The MNDAA reportedly responded with
ground force attacks.
Hostilities were
expected to escalate and intensify as more soldiers are being deployed to the
region, according to the report on May 11. An unspecific number of casualties
and injuries were also reported.
“Yesterday, the armed
clashes were intense,” commented Khun Gamani, an observer at the border, on
social media. “Government forces shelled the Kokang positions and advanced
forwards. There were many casualties. It appears that the [Burmese] military is
spending three billion kyat [US$2.2 million] per day in heavy weapons fire alone.
They should realize, after wars in Kachin State in 2011 and 2015, and now in Kokang
this year, that millions of dollars have been spent without bringing any benefits
[to the people].”
In recent days,
China’s special representative for Burma, Sun Gunxiang, met
leaders of the Northern Alliance and the Wa in the Yunnanese capital of Kunming
to discuss the ongoing peace process in Burma.
The Northern Alliance, as agreed in the recent Panghsang
Resolution, maintains that only when all seven ethnic armed organizations,
including the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and Shan State Progress
Party (SSPP), are accepted and recognized by the Burmese government, will peace
negotiations be able to proceed, Brig-Gen Tarr Jode Jarr, the deputy chairman of the TNLA, told reporters.
China’s Special Representative Sun
is due to speak next to the Burmese government to convey the outcome of talks in Kunming. Burma’s State Counselor
Aung San Suu Kyi is slated to travel to Beijing on May 14 to attend the “Modern
Silk Road” or “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) project, an international
forum based on a developing Chinese business model. The current armed conflicts
in Kachin State and northern Shan State are reportedly on the agenda at the OBOR
conference.
Han Yawnghwe, a Euro-Burma Office (EBO) delegate
who closely follows ethnic affairs, said in a recent interview with The
Irrawaddy that China will continue to exert influence over Burma until a
resolution can be found to the armed conflicts in the northern regions.
By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
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KIO leaves UNFC in a dilemma
The very existence of the United
Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) ethnic alliance has been called into
question by the departure of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), say
Burma observers.
The KIO reportedly etched a draft
resignation letter last week, according to an official who requested anonymity,
speaking to Shan Herald.
Alongside its ally the Shan State Progress Party/Shan
State Army (SSPP/SSA), the KIO have recently attended talks in Wa army
headquarters, Panghsang, where they forged close relationships with the members
of the so-called Northern Alliance—Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance
Army (MNDAA), Arakan Army (AA), and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).
Does it then follow that if the KIO
leaves the UNFC, will the SSPP/SSA follow suit?
“I think the UNFC is founded on
the principle of ‘political allies,’” said That Hmu, an ex-student army
combatant and now a senior member of the Democratic Party for New Society. “It
does not help them at the negotiation table with their counterparts the Burmese
military. They have been cornered and pressured; they have been crushed to
pieces.”
The SSPP/SSA’s Maj-Gen Sai Htoo
recently told reporters that his group has no intention of leaving the UNFC. Some
observers, however, have raised eyebrows and will continue to monitor the Shan
army’s progress in talks with the Northern Alliance.
Meanwhile, the Burmese government
remains confident that five members of the UNFC—the Karenni National
Progressive Party (KNPP), the New Mon State Party (NMSP), the Arakan National
Council (ANC), the Wa National Organization (WNO), and the Lahu Democratic
Union (LDU) —will ultimately sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).
Burma ethnologist Nai Banya Aung
from Mon News Agency said, “The NMSP’s meeting will come to an end
today, 8 May, while the KNPP will hold theirs on May 10. The decision on
whether to sign the NCA depends on the outcome of those meetings.”
The NMSP maintains that the
adoption of the NCA should only be taken when all members of the UNFC are in
consent.
“There will be a meeting between
the Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN), a negotiating team formed by the
UNFC, and the government’s Peace Commission (PC) on May 14 - 18. By then, we
will have a better picture of how close to signing the NCA they are,” said Nai
Banya Aung.
The government, of course,
insists that the NCA is the only pathway to peace. It has agreed “in principle”
to the UNFC’s 9-point plan, but has not committed to accepting it.
And observers also question
whether the Arakan National Council/Arakan Army (ANC/AA) will eventually sign
the NCA or follow the UWSA-led political approach.
In the meantime, both the NMSP
and KNPP have requested that the NCA treaty be updated to incorporate the
UNFC’s 9-point proposal. If the government and military insist that no
amendments are permitted to the original document, then it seems unlikely that
there is much they can do.
We can conclude that, under any
circumstance, the five remaining members of the UNFC must seriously consider
signing the NCA. However, in the immediate term, that prospect is unlikely.
By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
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Shan State regional dialogue criticized as hasty and unprepared
Several delegates have criticized the Shan State
regional-level dialogue as a hastily arranged and unprepared event.
 |
| Photo SHAN- over 400 representatives from political parties, the government, the Burmese armed forces, civil society, and ceasefire signatory groups attended the Shan State regional dialogue between April 23-25, 2017. |
Some 400 representatives from political parties, the
government, the Burmese armed forces, civil society, and ceasefire signatory
groups are attending the talks, which kicked off in state capital Taunggyi
yesterday. Ethnic armed groups that have not signed the Nationwide Ceasefire
Agreement (NCA) were not invited to the conference.
The regional-level dialogue is a pre-runner to
Union-level dialogue, unofficially dubbed the “21st Century Panglong
Conference,” which is slated to be held sometime in May. The Taunggyi
conference was held up as an opportunity for stakeholders in Shan State to
share and recommend opinions in order to form a consensus ahead of the Union
peace talks.
According to Dr Myo Htun, the regional minister of
social affairs, the Office of the State Counsellor on April 19 authorized the
Taunggyi meeting, after which logistics were rushed in order to hold the forum
in time.
“We set up a conference committee and tried to do
the best we could with such limited time to prepare,” he said. “We wanted to
make sure everyone was involved, but some may have been left out. Please understand;
this was purely down to the time restriction.”
Nang Mya Oo, the secretary of the Taunggyi branch of
the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), said that they could not
submit a paper to the committee because they did not have enough time to
prepare.
“We were not able to submit our paper this time
because they only asked us two days before the event,” she said. “However, we
will present it [when we can].”
Yan Kyaw, a leading committee member of the Wa Self-Administered Division, echoed the sentiment that
there was not enough time to prepare statements and paperwork.
“We had to discuss, prepare, write and
submit our paper the night before we left to travel to the meeting,’ he said.
“I’m not satisfied with this
conference,” he added. “They need to give us at least five days or one week to
prepare. This regional-level meeting is very important. In the future, I hope
they inform everyone well ahead of time.”
Khun Myint Htun, the chairman of
the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), which was invited to Taunggyi’s
conference, said, “As this event is led by the Shan State government, it stands
to reason that every armed group in the state should be invited to participate
as observers.”
Reached for comment by Shan
Herald, Lt-Col Sai Oo of the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State
Army (RCSS/SSA), a signatory to the NCA, but which was blocked from convening a conference in February, said that dialogue should proceed step by step.
“This event is organized by the
government, and it is good to have this meeting,” he said. “However it is very
urgent, and it should be organized to proceed on a step-by-step basis.”
According to Shan State Chief Minister Dr. Linn
Htut, to date some 70 papers have been submitted to the conference, including 26
related to political issues, 23 papers related to economy, and 21 involving land
and resources issues.
The conference is scheduled to be held in the state
capital from April 23 to 25.
By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
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Aung San Suu Kyi Should Resign
In her March 30, 2017 State of the Union speech, Aung San Suu Kyi
said:
“So, if you all think I am not good enough for our country and our people,
if someone or some organization can do better than us, we are ready to
step down.”
Fair enough. Suu Kyi has proven herself unfit to lead Burma, also known as
Myanmar, in countless ways, foremost among them:
She refuses to speak out against and otherwise work to end the crimes
against humanity perpetrated by the Burma Army and the Police against the
country’s ethnic minorities. These include at present the genocide of the
Rohingya in the West and the Civil War against the Kachin and other groups
in the North, and in prior years against the Shan, Karenni and Karen. She
has signaled her intention to block a United Nations investigation into
the atrocities being committed against the Rohingya.
She acts as an autocrat in her own right, ignoring advice from dedicated
civil society groups, and opposing protests by the public when they
attempt to protect their rights.
She has supported the military regime’s racial prejudices, including by
refusing to field Muslim candidates for Parliament under the National
League for Democracy banner.
She has helped business cronies of the regime, and taken donations from
them, at the same time failing to implement a program to reverse the
appalling poverty that the people of Burma endure.
Suu Kyi has been in power for a year, and some people are saying that she
should be given more time. But she has actually been a Member of
Parliament already for five years, and she has been a “pro-democracy”
leader for twenty-nine. What has she really done? Why has she refused to
use her voice to energize the people to oppose the generals? If she hasn’t
done anything strong and decisive in all this time, is there any reason to
expect that she, or Burma under her leadership, will change?
Aung San Suu Kyi should fulfill her pledge and step down from her
positions as State Counsellor, MP, and head of the NLD. She should retire
from the political scene. Burma needs new democratic leadership, now.
Read More
SNLD presses for votes in Kengtung
In a last-ditch effort
to whip votes before the April 1 by-election, members of a Shan
political party met with residents in Kengtung Township on March 27 and 28.
Shan Nationalities
League for Democracy (SNLD) chair Khun Htun Oo urged voters to elect the candidate who they feel
would most clearly work in the public’s interest. He was joined at the event by
Nang Kham Aye, the SNLD representative for Namtu Township’s Pyithu Hluttaw
seat, and Loong Sai Long, the SNLD candidate for Kyaingtong/Kengtung’s consistency 2.
“At the campaign
event, they said that the Tiger Head [SNLD] party hopes to win the confidence
of the people. The vote all depends on the desires of the people to choose who
they want to represent them,” said Sai Tun Yee, a local resident who attended
the campaign rally.
Shan State will be a
hotly contested battleground this weekend. In 2015, it was an outlier to the
National League for Democracy’s (NLD) sweep, serving instead to propel the Shan
Nationalities League for Democracy to its position as the country’s fourth
largest party in the national parliament. The state is also a last bastion for
the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which took the bulwark of
seats in the Shan State legislature in 2015.
Two townships in Shan
State – Kyethi and Mong Hsu – will have their first poll in seven
years this by-election, after the vote was previously cancelled due to
security concerns. A total of six seats in those areas are up for grabs, two in
Pyithu Hluttaw and four in the Shan State Hluttaw.
In Kengtung, the only
other seat free in Shan State, six parties are vying for a chance to join the
state parliament. The SNLD is joined by competition from the NLD, the USDP,
the Shan National Democratic Party (SNDP), the Lahu National Development
Party and the Akha National Development Party (ANDP).
By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
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SNLD spokesman urges voters to support ‘local party’
Sai Leik, the spokesperson for the Shan
Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), today urged voters going to the
polls in by-elections on Saturday to support “their local party” in Shan State.
Speaking to Shan Herald on Thursday, the
final day for campaigning, Sai Leik said, “From now on, our representative
should be a citizen of Shan State and should be a person who is working on
behalf of our nationality.”
He added that people in Mong Hsu, Mong Nong and
Kehsi townships had lost their right to vote during the 2015 general election
when polls were cancelled due to security concerns.
“That’s why this time they must come out and
exercise their right to vote. We do not want our people to lose their rights,”
he said.
Nicknamed the Tiger Head Party, the
SNLD won a total of 40 seats in the 2015 election. For this by-election, it is
running candidates to contest all seats in Mong Hsu, Mong Nong, Kehsi and Kengtung
townships.
Its ethnic rival, the Shan
Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), known as the White Tiger Party, will also
contest all vacant seats in those same areas.
Apart from the two Shan-based
parties, the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which holds
a majority of seats in the Shan State Assembly, has also
been rallying for its candidates in the final stages of the campaign in Shan
State, as have the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) and other ethnic
parties such as the Wa National Unity Party (WNUP).
By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
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NLD fails in bid to close polling stations in Mong Hsu
A request by the National
League for Democracy (NLD) to cancel by-election voting at three polling
stations in Mong Hsu Township, southern Shan State, has been denied by the Union
Election Commission.
On March 21, the Mong Hsu
branch of the NLD submitted a letter to the state election commission, calling
for the closure of polling stations in Wanloi, Mawmea and Kunkyaung village
tracts due to what it called security issues. The cancellation of polls at
these three village tracts in Loilem District would have affected more than
4,000 registered voters.
The state commission in turn
forwarded the letter to the Union Election Commission in Naypyidaw for a
decision.
Reached for comment by Shan
Herald, Than Thin, the head of the Loilem District Election Commission, said,
“We will not cancel voting at these three polling stations. However, we will
move the polling stations closer towards the main towns.”
He added: “In order for this
by-election to go smoothly, we all have to work together. That’s why we will
not close down these polling facilities. We have not yet announced where the
new polling station sites will be, because the time is not right to make that
announcement. We will wait until security is assured before we make the move.”
The polling stations will not
be relocated to sites more than four miles from their respective village tracts,
according to sources from the state election commission.
“It is better that these
polling stations are not closed down completely,” said Sai Leik, the
spokesperson for the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD). “Actually,
there is no fighting in these areas. The situation is calm. However, the
villagers will have to travel to polling stations about four or five miles from
their homes. That is an inconvenience.
“Whenever it comes to voting, many
people in Shan State have little interest in participating,” he added. “Therefore,
in situations like this, we have to put in some extra effort to encourage
them.”
There are 17 village tracts in
Mong Hsu. The three village tracts in question are located in areas recognized
as territory of the Shan State Progess Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA).
The SSPP/SSA made an
announcement on February 25, saying that they welcomed the by-election and were
ready to support any political party that was campaigning in its territory.
Voting was cancelled in Mong
Hsu Township, as well as Mong Nong and Kehsi townships, during the 2015 general
election due to the commencement of heavy offensives by Burmese government
forces on positions of SSPP/SSA troops in those three areas.
By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
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Mong Hsu by-election: NLD member defects to SNLD
A high-ranking member of the National League for
Democracy (NLD) in southern Shan State has left the party and joined the Shan
Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD). His resignation prompted about a
hundred other NLD members to leave the party.
Sai Htun Htun Oo’s move comes less than a week ahead
of an April 1 by-election in his constituency.
Sai Htun Htun Oo was a leading figure in the NLD in
Mong Hsu Township, where he was listed as a candidate during the 2015 general
election. However, his name was not on the NLD list for the upcoming
by-election, which may suggest the reason for his resignation.
According to Sai Myo Sein, a prominent SNLD member
in Mong Hsu, the SNLD held a welcoming party for Sai Htun Htun Oo on March 15.
“On March 15, we held a welcome party and presented
him with an SNLD member card,” he said.
Following the resignation of Sai Htun Htun Oo, about
100 NLD members, mostly ethnic Shan persons, also quit the party in Mong Hsu Township.
Shan Herald
has learnt that some local members are attributing the desertion to problems
the NLD has been dealing with during its campaign for seats in Mong Hsu, where polls
were cancelled at the last general election due to security concerns.
One of the main issues has reportedly been the NLD
candidates’ inability to communicate with the local voters in Shan language.
The NLD won a landslide victory
across the country at the November 2015 election. However, it was only the
third largest party in the Shan State Assembly, where the SNLD (also known as the
‘Tiger Head Party’) came in second to the military-backed Union Solidarity and
Development Party (USDP).
By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
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Shan State Assembly want to recruit staff by themselves
The speaker of the Shan State parliament has said
that the regional government – not the central government – will recruit civil
servants for the Taunggyi-based assembly.
Speaking to lawmakers during a Shan State Assembly session
in state capital Taunggyi on Monday, Sai Long Sang said the recruitment of
office workers for the assembly would be an internal matter, undertaken by the state
government itself.
His statement came after Mahn Win Khaing Than, the speaker
for the Union Parliament in Naypyidaw, advised his Shan State counterpart that
“some changes were coming” to the parliament in Taunggyi during a visit in
February. He noted that those changes would be enacted by the end of this year.
“However, it was unclear what he meant by ‘changes’,”
said Sai Moon Lern, an MP from the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy
(SNLD) representing Mong Nai Township. “Whether the staff would come from the central
government or be recruited locally as new employees.”
Currently, there are little more than 10 office
workers at the Shan State government, all of whom were appointed by the central
government, a system that harks back to the days when the military-backed Union
Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) held power.
This current parliamentary session meeting started
on March 20 and is scheduled to end on March 23. Among the issues to be
discussed are: infrastructure development; and the state budget.
By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
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