Jan 31, 2012: :Bangkok - The president of the Karen National Union (KNU) on Tuesday
urged his followers to remain hopeful about peace talks with the
Myanmar government but to 'prepare for the worst.'
The KNU on
January 12 signed two preliminary ceasefire agreements with the
government in Pa-an, capital of the Karen State, to end their armed
insurgency which on Tuesday marked its 63rd anniversary.
'These agreements were small initial steps in the march towards
ceasefire, internal peace, national reconciliation, amendment of the
2008 constitution and establishment of a genuine union,' Saw Tamla Baw
said.
'We still have to take thousands of steps more,' he
said. 'I would like to remind you all to maintain a critical mind and
hope for the best without suspicion and desire for revenge, and at the
same time be prepared for the worst.'
More than 200 Karen
fighters gathered at Oo Kray Kee village, in the Karen State, to mark
the anniversary of their revolution.
The KNU chief said peace
would depend on the 'broadmindedness' of President Thein Sein, who came
to power in March and has initiated numerous reforms in recent months
including the talks with the KNU.
On January 31, 1949,
soldiers attacked Karen communities in Yangon and burned several
churches, sparking one of the world's oldest insurgencies.
In
1996, troops overran the KNU's military headquarters in Mannerplaw,
Karen State, turning the Karen into a guerrilla force.
Over
the past 16 years, fighting in the Karen State has forced more than
145,000 Karen to flee their homes for refuge in camps in neighbouring
Thailand.
'Though the Karen revolution has been going on for
63 years, we still must struggle on, as we still have not achieved the
goal desired by the entire Karen people, which is a Karen country with
freedom, peace and self-determination,' Saw Tamla Baw said.
Besides its preliminary agreements with the KNU, the government has
also signed pacts with Shan and Chin insurgents. This month it
attempted to conclude a similar ceasefire agreement with the Kachin
Independence Organization, but failed.
Western democracies
have demanded the government cease hostilities against its ethnic
minority insurgencies as one of their conditions for normalizing
relations with the once-pariah state that is now under a pro-military
government packed with ex-generals.
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/asiapacific/news/article_1688239.php/Myanmar-rebel-leader-says-prepare-for-the-worst
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Myanmar rebel leader says "prepare for the worst"
3:41 PM
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