Burmese Karen Leader Assassinated In Thailand

[sriracha john]

A file photo of the Karen National Union Secretary-General Pado Manh Sha speaking earlier this year at the 59th anniversary of KNU revolution day.

The Nation

KNU Chief Pado Manh Sha shot dead

A top leader of the Karen National Union (KNU), Pado Manh Sha, 65, was assassinated in his home in Mae Sot district, police in Tak province said yesterday.

Pado Manh Sha was the KNU Secretary-General and an outspoken critic of Burma's military government.

Colonel Passawat Teangjui said the man was killed yesterday afternoon at his home by three gunmen believed to be ethnic Karen. "His relatives who witnessed the killing said the first man went up to greet Pado Manh Sha while he was resting, but then shot him once. A second man came up and shot him again," Passawat said.

Agence France-Presse quoted Win Min, a Thailand-based Burma analyst, describing the death as a major loss for the KNU. "He is one of the top leaders for the group. He is an articulate strategist and a unifying figure for the KNU," Win Min said.

KNU is one of the last remaining rebel armies. It has refused to put down its arms, although the group has entered into off-and-on negotiations with the Rangoon government over the years. KNU suffered a setback in 1994 when a major Buddhist faction broke off and allied itself with Rangoon, and later set up the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA). Combined forces of DKBA and Burmese government troops delivered another blow to the KNU in 1995 when they forced the rebel group to flee their Manerplaw headquarters.

DKBA is largely seen as a Rangoon proxy and has often engaged in battles with Thai soldiers along the border. KNU and Rangoon entered into another round of peace talks in 2004 at the insistence of the Thai government, but the ceasefire did not last very long. Aung Naing Oo, an exiled Burmese analyst was quoted saying one of the biggest concerns along the border now was that more assassinations might follow.

Throughout his career as a rebel commander, Manh Sha worked closely with the late General Bo Mya, who died in December 2006 from natural causes. Until his death, Bo Mya dominated much of KNU politics and its military campaign. After 24 years leading the KNU, Bo Mya decided to step down to end an internal rift. Another aging leader, Ba Thin Sein, 81, replaced him in 2000.

- The Nation

[Bluelotus]

Hmmmm something very fishy here "Colonel Passawat Teangjui said the man was killed yesterday afternoon at his home by three gunmen believed to be ethnic Karen.

Smacks of overt intel ops perhaps an attempt to consolidate leadership for an offensive strategy.

Cui Bono ?

[sriracha john]

Hmmmm something very fishy here "Colonel Passawat Teangjui said the man was killed yesterday afternoon at his home by three gunmen believed to be ethnic Karen.

perhaps because they spoke Karen to the Leader before the 2 gunmen emptied 2 pistols into him...

Burmese rebel leader shot dead

A leader of Burma's biggest rebel group has been shot dead at his home in a Thai border town in an assassination immediately blamed on troops loyal to the former Burma's military junta.

Mahn Sha Lar Phan, Secretary-General of the Karen National Union (KNU), was shot at his two-storey wooden home by two men who arrived in a pickup truck, his neighbour Kim Suay said at the scene. He died instantly.

"One of them walked up to the house and said in Karen "How are you, uncle?" Then the other man joined him after parking the truck and they both shot him with two pistols," she said, her voice shaking with emotion.

In an interview with Reuters this week, he had predicted a possible increase in violence ahead of a constitutional referendum in Burma in May.

However, the KNU and its armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), are riven by internal feuds and lethal vendettas.

His son Hse Hse, another senior member of the predominantly Christian Karen rebel movement, blamed a Buddhist Karen splinter group which brokered a truce with the Burmese junta in the mid-1990s.

"This is the work of the DKBA and the Burmese soldiers," Hse Hse said, referring to the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army.

The Irrawaddy, an exile-run magazine based in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, said there had been several recent attacks and assassination attempts between mainstream KNU members and the breakaway 7th Brigade led by Htain Maung, which agreed a ceasefire with the junta last year.

"Last month, Colonel Ler Moo, the son-in-law of breakaway leader Htain Maung, was killed in a bomb attack while sleeping at a communications office near the group's headquarters," the magazine said on its website http://www.irrawaddy.org.

The Karen have been fighting for independence in the hills of eastern Burma for the past 60 years, one of the world's longest-running insurgencies.

Thai police said they had the registration number of the truck and were setting up roadblocks around Mae Sot, a "wild west" frontier town of refugees, illegal migrants and gem dealers, to try to catch the two killers.

- Reuters

[sriracha john]

Another shooting murder in Thailand goes out on the international media newswires...

Karen National Union (KNU) soldiers parade

Top Myanmar rebel leader assassinated in Thailand: police

BANGKOK — A top leader of Myanmar's rebel Karen National Union who was also a key figure in the democracy movement was assassinated Thursday at his home in Thailand, Thai police and political exiles said.

Pado Manh Sha, 65, was the KNU's Secretary-General based in the Thai town of Mae Sot. He was also an outspoken critic of Myanmar's military regime who built bridges between the ethnic Karen and the democracy movement inside the country.

Mae Sot police commander Colonel Passawat Teangjui said he was killed on Thursday afternoon at his home by three gunmen who spoke the Karen language.

"His relatives who witnessed the killing said the first man went up to greet Pado Manh Sha while he was resting, but then shot him once. A second man came up and shot him again," Passawat said.

"He died instantly," Passawat told AFP by telephone.

Irrawaddy, a Thailand-based news outlet run by exiled dissidents, said Pado Manh Sha was shot dead by two gunmen.

Win Min, a Thailand-based Myanmar analyst, said the death of the KNU's third-highest leader was a major loss for the Karen.

"He is one of the top leaders for the group. He is an articulate strategist and a unifying figure for the KNU," Win Min said.

Myanmar exiles said Pado Manh Sha could have been killed by a Karen splinter group or assassins ordered by the military, which has ruled the country formerly known as Burma since 1962.

"It is likely to be a KNU problem," said Myanmar analyst Aung Naing Oo, noting that the mainly Christian KNU sometimes battles with a Buddhist splinter group called the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA).

But he said dissidents along the border were scared that the killing was ordered by the junta, which might want to target other exile leaders. "Everybody is terrified that there could be a hit list from the Burmese military circulating around Thailand of people to be killed," he said.

"So far nobody knows who did it," he added.

"This is very damaging. He is very well known, very committed, and he is also on the side of the pro-democracy movement. The repercussions will affect more than just the KNU," Aung Naing Oo said.

The KNU has battled Myanmar's rulers for nearly six decades in one of the world's longest-running insurgencies. The KNU is the largest rebel group fighting Myanmar's armed forces and one of the few remaining ethnic insurgencies yet to sign a peace deal with the junta. The group once controlled broad swaths of eastern Myanmar but now is reduced mainly to a string of bases pressed against the Thai border.

Myanmar began a bloody offensive against the Karen two years ago, which activists say has targeted ordinary villagers rather than rebels. Decades of fighting have devastated eastern Myanmar, where 500,000 people have been displaced by violence, according to Human Rights Watch. Up to 150,000 Karen refugees also live in camps along Thailand's border with Myanmar. Many of them have been there for more than 20 years.

Rape, forced labour, summary executions and land grabs remain widespread, while the military also forced villagers to act as human minesweepers, Human Rights Watch said in its annual report last month.

- AFP

Edited February 15, 2008 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

News spanning more of the globe now...

Senior Burmese opposition leader killed

A senior leader of the Karen National Union, one of the biggest ethnic minority groups fighting Burma’s military regime, was assassinated in his home on Thursday in the Thai border town of Mae Sot, sending shock waves through the ranks of Burmese political dissidents.

Padoh Mahn Sha, 64, who served as a crucial link between ethnic minority insurgent groups and Burma’s pro-democracy movement, was shot repeatedly by two men in a pick-up truck. He had led the KNU since 2000.

The KNU once boasted a formidable guerrilla force but it has been weakened considerably over the past decades by army offensives and infighting.

Mr Mahn Sha was a supporter of Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel prize-winning democracy leader, believing that her vision of a democratic Burma would offer the best protection to the rights and interests of ethnic minorities, who account for 30 per cent of the population.

In 1988 he took the lead in sheltering Burmese students fleeing a military crackdown on anti-government demonstrations. At his death, he held a top position in an umbrella organisation of Burmese exile groups trying to promote peaceful resistance to military rule inside Burma.

“He has played a leading role in uniting different ethnic [minorities] with the mainstream democracy movement,” said Mark Farmaner, of the Burma Campaign UK.

His killing comes just days after the Burmese junta announced a May national referendum on a controversial constitution. Critics say the draft charter would essentially “legalise” military rule, while making few concessions to ethnic minorities’ desire for autonomy.

Mr Mahn Sha, who had warned of a possible increase in violence ahead of the referendum, was reviled by Burma’s military regime, and its state-controlled media frequently accused him of being the “terrorist” behind violent incidents in Burma.

No one has claimed responsibility for the killing but dissidents in Mae Sot speculated that the assassins might have been affiliated with KNU breakaway factions now allied with the Burmese military regime.

The unprecedented assassination on Thai soil has also sparked fear and anxiety among other Burmese dissidents in Mae Sot. More than 140,000 Karen refugees live in camps in Thailand.

“We are worried that there is going to be more bloodshed,” said Nyo Ohn Myint, a Mae Sot-based member of Ms Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy.

- Financial Times (UK)

[sriracha john]

Top Burmese Rebel Leader Killed

A Burmese rebel leader who was an outspoken critic of the country's military government has been shot and killed at his home near the border with Thailand.

Karen National Union Secretary General Pado Mahn Sha Lap was killed Thursday at his home in the Thai border town of Mae Sot. At least two unidentified men were seen carrying out the killing, but no one has claimed responsibility.

Police and family members suggest that rebel splinter groups were involved.

In an interview with Reuters, Man Sha's son blamed the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army for the attack. The predominantly Christian Karen National Union frequently clashes with the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, which has links to the Burmese military.

Other reports suggest that another breakaway Karen faction, the 7th Brigade group, may have been involved.

The shooting incident comes at a politically sensitive time, less than a week after Burma's military leaders announced plans to hold a referendum in May and general elections in 2010.

In interviews earlier this week, Mahn Sha predicted there would be an increase in violence in the lead-up to the government's planned referendum on a new constitution. He denounced the referendum as a fraud and an attempt to hold onto power.

Mahn Sha also was a top leader of the National Council of the Union of Burma, a Thai-based group that opposes military rule in Burma.

The Karen National Union has been fighting for autonomy in eastern Burma for decades. It is the only major ethnic rebel group to not sign a cease-fire agreement with the Burmese government.

- Voice of America News

[Jai Dee]

Karen National Union Secretary-General killed in Tak province

Police Lieutenant Colonel Theng Boongsong (เต็ง บุญส่ง) of Mae Sod Police Station in Tak province revealed that the station received reports of an assassination yesterday evening. After traveling to a second floor residence in the Mae Sod municipality, police found the slain body of Secretary-General of the Karen National Union (KNU) Pado Manh Sha Laphan (ผะโด้ มานช่า ละพัน).

The 63 year old KNU leader was reportedly sitting at the balcony of his residence when a black pickup truck pulled up to the home and two men approached him and shot him. Reports stated that the men spoke in the Karen language.

The KNU is a group in opposition to the Myanmar military government and has fought for the instating of democracy within the nation. Their base of operations is allegedly located beyond the border of Tak province in Myanmar.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 15 February 2008

[Jai Dee]

DKBA launches attack against KNU in Tak province

The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) with support from the Military government of Myanmar’s State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has assembled a 400 man armed brigade and launched an attack against a Karen National Union (KNU) stronghold in Pob Phra (พบพระ) district of Tak province.

DKBA forces have surrounded KNU members and suppressed them with heavy fire from weapons including RPG’s. The hour long clash ended when KNU members retreateing their strong hold, leaving over 30 side arms behind.

The incident this morning left 18 people dead from all three groups and 24 more injured and has been declared the most violent event in past months for the region. The attack follows a declaration from the Myanmar government to crack down on militant minority groups.

The assault also follows the assassination of KNU Secretary General PADO MANH SHA LAPHAN (ผะโด้ มานช่า ละพัน) yesterday evening.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 15 February 2008

[Jai Dee]

Myanmar's ethnic Karen rebel group vows to continue fighting against junta's troops

The Karen National Union, a leading ethnic rebel group in Myanmar, named a new leader following the mysterious murder of its chief and vowed Friday to continue its decades-long struggle against the country's military junta.

KNU General Secretary Mahn Sha was shot by two gunmen Thursday at his home in the Thai border town of Mae Sot, according to Thai police.

"We lost one of our leaders but nothing will affect our movement," said Ba Thien, president of the KNU, who blamed the killing on troops loyal to the junta. "The struggle for our cause will continue."

Thai police who investigated the shooting said the murder may have been the result of internal differences in the rebel group.

The KNU's No. 2 official, Htoo Htoo Lay, 61, automatically became the group's new leader, according to the KNU's constitution, Ba Thien said.

The killing came less than a week after Myanmar's military government announced plans for a referendum on a new constitution in May, to be followed by a general election in 2010. The plans have been denounced by the KNU and other opponents of the regime as a sham devised to perpetuate military rule.

The KNU is one of more than a dozen armed ethnic groups who for decades have sought greater autonomy from Myanmar's central government.

Since 1988, many other groups have signed formal cease-fires with the ruling junta — formerly known as the State Peace and Development Council, or SPDC — but the Karen has not reached a formal agreement to lay down their arms.

The KNU, which has been fighting for more than five decades, once had a powerful guerrilla force in Myanmar's eastern border region. But Myanmar army offensives, coupled with divisions within the organization, have reduced the group's military presence over the past decade.

Myanmar's military continues to carry out sweeping counterinsurgency operations in Karen areas along the border with Thailand, displacing thousands of civilians, many of whom join some 100,000 of their countrymen in refugee camps in Thailand.

Mahn Sha, 64, took over leadership of the KNU in 2000 from his ailing predecessor, Bo Mya, who died in 2006. He had been with the KNU since 1963, becoming joint general secretary in 1995 before taking the top post.

Mahn Sha's funeral was expected to take place over the weekend at a location in Myanmar being kept secret due to security concerns, Ba Thien said.

Source: AP - 15 February 2008

[geriatrickid]

Isn't this a bit of a proxy war here? The Burmese using their insurgent allies to try to destabilize Thailand and the Thais using their own insurgent allies to keep Burma off balance? Maybe I'm overly cynical, but wouldn't a small contained skirmish might serve some people's self interests? Is it possible that the Burmese junta might try to provoke a small border conflict in an attempt to unite the Burmese people against a common enemy? Some Thai generals might believe that such a conflict could help restore pride in the Thai military that has had its image tarnished as a result of the coup.

[Johpa]

DKBA launches attack against KNU in Tak province

The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) with support from the Military government of Myanmar’s State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has assembled a 400 man armed brigade and launched an attack against a Karen National Union (KNU) stronghold in Pob Phra (พบพระ) district of Tak province.

Shades of beloved Gen. Chaowalit who took money from the old SLORC variation of the Burmese regime and allowed Burmese troops to openly operate on Thai soil to attack the hapless Karen refugees. I wonder who is the general in charge of the border now who is allowing a similar violation of Thai sovereignty?

Chaiyo!

[sriracha john]

Manh Sha spoke of plot to kill him

Unknown gunmen assassinated Pado Manh Sha, leader of the Karen National Union, in his Mae Sot home on Thursday afternoon. In a recent unpublished interview with journalist Phil Thornton, he discussed plots to kill him and his hopes for the Karen.

Pado Manh Sha sat outside his home, enjoying the late-afternoon sunset, after an interview with a foreign analyst on Thursday.

A blue pickup stopped outside. A man got out of the vehicle and walked to the house, shook hands with Mahn Sha and then shot him dead. One of Manh Sha's staff gave chase as the gunman and an accomplice fled.

In our interview, Manh Sha said he had received warnings and took seriously an intelligence report that the Burmese military dictatorship had plans to kill Karen National Union leaders.

He said Karen intelligence officers had briefed him and he had warned other leaders to up their security. Manh Sha expected the attempt on his life would be at night and had taken steps to sleep in various locations. But he insisted on spending his days at his home, mainly because he enjoyed the view across the paddy field from his seat on the porch.

Saw Hla Henry, a Karen leader, said Manh Sha would be missed. "He was a strong man for the Karen people. He was smart and detested by the [burmese] regime. Everything he was, was for the Karen; all Karen."

He was a constant thorn in the junta's plans to show the international community it was moving towards democracy. "We want to resolve our problems by peaceful means, but the Burmese don't want that; they like the battlefield too much," he said in the interview.

Manh Sha was incensed by attacks on Karen villagers that had forced 76,000 to relocate. The Thai-Burma Border Consortium says the Burmese army destroyed more than 3,000 villages between 1996 and 2006 in Karen State.

"These people are not soldiers. They're civilians. They [the Burmese army] kill, burn, torture our people and landmine our villages. We want peace, justice and we want to be part of a federation of Burma."

Manh Sha was an internationalist. He was enthusiastic about plans to form an ethnic alliance with Burmese opposition groups that could effectively combat the regime. "The time of dictators is over - we live in the 21st century. It's time for the Burmese generals to make genuine peace with their people," he said.

Always accommodating to the international community and news media, Manh Sha felt more needed to be done for them to see Burma as more than a local problem.

- The Nation

[kat]

This is a horrible loss, especially at this time. I am glad it was Phil Horton who may have gotten the last interview.

But, the KNU can pull out of this and remain strong.

[sriracha john]

KNU appoints new leader

The Karen National Union said that a new Secretary-General has been appointed to replace the late leader Pado Manh Sha who was assassinated last Thursday.

The KNU's second coordinator of the central communication and information department, Pado Thamein Htun, said the group's joint Secretary-General 1, Colonel Thu Thu Lay, has now been promoted to the Secretary-General position previously filled by Manh Sha.

Thamein Htun said that while Manh Sha's death was a considerable loss, the group is determined to carry on with its opposition to the military government. "We will continue under guidelines set up by the KNU founders," said Thamein Htun. “A loss is a loss and can't be replaced, but it won't change the KNU's stand,” he went on.

"[Manh Sha's] death is a very sad thing for us. But we will turn the tears into energy to carry on with the KNU and our country's unfinished work."

Pado Manh Sha, the previous Secretary-General and rallying figure of the KNU, was assassinated by two unknown Karen gunmen at his house in Thailand's Mae Sot border town last Thursday. He was shot in the chest by gunmen and died instantly from his wounds.

Mae Sot police commander Colonel Passawat Teangjui said that Thai police are carrying out an investigation to track down the gunmen after the truck used by them, with the Bangkok-registered license plate ชฐ-425, was seized the day after the killing.

"According to our investigation, the truck was rented by two unidentified Karen males on the evening Manh Sha was killed. The two men used it from 3pm to 5pm and then apparently went across the Burmese border into Myawaddy," said Passawat Teangjui.

"We are currently questioning the truck owner to track down the criminals and to arrest them. If someone commits a crime in Thailand, they will be punished according to Thai law."

Meanwhile, the KNU is preparing to hold a state funeral for Manh Sha in one of the Karen National Liberation Army outposts.

The funeral organizing committee's member General Manh Kyaw Pe said the date and time will be announced when everything is planned. "We are preparing a state funeral for him in our territory. [Manh Sha's] body has been delivered to the border area," said Kyaw Pe. "His body is likely to be cremated as he was a Buddhist."

- Democratic Voice of Burma

[sriracha john]

Will Mahn Sha’s Killers Ever Be Brought to Justice?

The high-profile killing of the third-ranking Karen leader Mahn Sha in Mae Sot indicated that the Thai-Burmese border town, once a stronghold of Karen and Burmese pro-democracy forces, is no longer a safe place.

The brazen assassination, committed in broad daylight, showed that infiltrators of the regime and rivals of the Karen National Union (KNU) are gaining ground in a Thai town once controlled by the KNU and its sympathizers.

I visited Mahn Sha's rented house a day after the killing. Burmese friends of the Karen leader believed that the assassins had conducted reconnaissance surveillance of the area and gathered intelligence before they walked into his house and shot him dead.

Mahn Sha had received death threats via cell phone calls. Some of his colleagues said the Karen politician had not taken security measures even though he knew assassins were roaming the town. The question is, however: could he have taken measures to protect his life?

Karen leaders living in Mae Sot and border villages, including the late Gen Saw Bo Mya, usually guard their homes with bodyguards and sentries, even if they are not armed.

Mahn Sha's neighbors were no strangers to him as he lived close to other opposition members' houses. They usually lived in a group, fearing possible attack in a border town where it is difficult to distinguish friend from foe. Diplomats, journalists and Burmese often visited Mahn Sha’s house.

Since the fall of the KNU’s Manerplaw headquarters to Burmese troops in 1995, the KNU's influence in Mae Sot and border villages has gradually waned. Following the fall of Manerplaw, soldiers of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Association (DKBA), backed by Burmese troops, made daring attacks on Karen refugee camps on Thai soil.

In 1997 and 1998, Huay Kaloke refugee camp, about 10km from Mae Sot, was attacked and burned down by Karen rebel forces. I remember visiting the camp in 1998 a day after the attack and finding a deserted, destroyed settlement, the refugee residents, including children, having been gunned down by the rebel army.

In past years, the DKBA, other Karen splinter groups and Burmese informers have slowly infiltrated Mae Sot, gathering information about the location and movements of dissident leaders and NGO offices that assist refugees and exiled groups. Over the past five years, the presence of Karen splinter groups has been more and more visible in Mae Sot.

The Burmese government has long accused Thailand of harboring Burma's most wanted rebels and dissidents—who now include several monks who led the September demonstrations and fled into hiding on Thai soil. Thailand is no safe haven for Burma's dissidents, but it’s certainly preferable to Insein Prison in Rangoon.

Like many other Burmese dissidents living discreetly in Thailand, Mahn Sha knew how uncertain an existence he was leading in view of Thailand's relationship with its unpredictable neighbor. He and other Burmese dissidents moved regularly from house to house to evade enemies and informers.

Nevetheless, there was little reason for Mahn Sha to fear for his life in Thailand. He was a prominent Karen leader who merited protection.

After the start of the Cold War, Bangkok enforced a "buffer zone policy" with respect to its neighbors. Ethnic Burmese minorities such as the Karen, Mon and Shan rebels enjoyed relative freedom in Thailand, and—most importantly—access to arms, which they then shipped back into Burma to rebels fighting for autonomy.

But this is no longer the situation. Thailand's "buffer zone" policy in relation to Burma is no longer in place.

Thailand is now a major trading partner of Burma, dealing mostly in gas, teak and other natural resources. Karen, Mon and Shan rebels who once offered lucrative trade deals with Thai merchants are no longer formidable forces.

I noticed massive construction work on the proposed Asian Highway behind Mahn Sha's house—and I wondered what Mahn Sha had thought about the project.

Meanwhile, Thai authorities have closed all border checkpoints near DKBA-controlled areas following the killing. Only the Friendship Bridge linking Mae Sot and the Burmese border town of Myawaddy remains open for trade between the two countries.

Police in Mae Sot have begun an investigation into the murder. According to a KNU official, local authorities in Mae Sot have arrested a Thai man suspected of lending his car to Mahn Sha's killers.

Despite a pledge from Thai police that they will find the assassins, KNU leaders say they don’t expect much success to emerge from the investigations.

"As neither the victim nor the gunmen were Thai citizens, I don't think the Thai authorities will take this case seriously," said KNU spokesman David Taw, who acknowledged that it would be difficult for Thai police to catch cross-border killers.

Some Burmese colleagues said Thai police and officials were worried that Burma would accuse Thailand again of harboring dissidents. "This is a big piece of evidence for the Burmese," said a friend of Mahn Sha with a note of irony.

The new, democratically elected government in Bangkok has been unusually silent on the killing, leading many Karen to wonder if the culprits will ever be brought to justice.

- Aung Zaw / Mae Sot for The Irrawaddy

[sriracha john]

Myanmar's Karen mourn leader

"I heard the sound of the cries upstairs and I called my father, 'Pa Pa', like that, but my father was already dead."

Saw Say Say, the son of Mahn Sha Lar Phan, former Secretary-General of the Karen National Union (KNU), told Al Jazeera of his pain after finding his father dead at their home near the Thai border town of Mae Sot.

Mahn Sha was an influential mediator for the KNU, a movement which has been fighting Myanmar's military government for autonomy since Myanmar's independence from Britain in 1948 - one of the longest conflicts for independence in the world.

No one has admitted responsibility for the murder on February 14, but the blame was immediately placed on Myanmar's military government, which, some allege, has been circulating a hit-list around Thailand and that Mahn Sha's name was on it.

Lian Sakhong, general-secretary of the ethnic national council, and a personal friend of Mahn Sha told Al Jazeera that Mahn Sha's death was a big loss for the KNU movement.

"He was not just the leader of the Karen people, he was the leader of all ethnic nationalities in Burma, including the Burmans.

"He was trying to rebuild the union of Burma into a peaceful country and change the country into a democratic and open society.

"But, unfortunately, the military sent us a message by killing him, saying that they are not willing to engage in dialogue; they are not willing to solve the country's problems peacefully."

Myanmar's military government, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), did not allow Mahn Sha's body to be buried in Myanmar, instead he was buried in a KNU-controlled area close to the border with Thailand.

The funeral took place on Monday, with more than 500 Karen, who live in exile in Thailand, making the journey across the Moi river, to attend the traditional Buddhist ceremony.

Some Karen believe that Mahn Sha's assassination may have been orchestrated by one of the splinter groups which recently broke away from the KNU and sided with the government.

David Taw, the KNU foreign affairs spokesman, said: "I think that the international [community] should keep watching what the SPDC is doing nowadays and then what atrocities have happened to the people.

"And then directly, now, how it has targeted some of our leaders."

Professor Win Min, from Chiang Mai University, Thailand, said: "[During] the September crackdown, after the military felt that they could control the situation in the cities, they sent some troops out to the border, in a regular offensive against the KNU."

He said that the main aim of the government and the splinter groups was to "wipe out the KNU" and "to make more and more splits in the KNU".

Despite the death of Mahn Shah, KNU leaders remain defiant that their people can withstand what they have described as a continued onslaught by Myanmar's military.

The union has already selected a new general secretary, Colonel Tutulay, who, Sakhong said, was "a charasmatic and highly educated leader".

In an interview with Al Jazeera in October, Mahn Sha called for solidarity, after predicting an increase in violence ahead of a constitutional referendum in Myanmar in May.

"To run away from Rangoon is not the answer," he said. "The answer is to fight more to abolish the military regime."

The KNU is committed to its armed struggle, and has said the day will come when the next generation of Karen can live in peace in their homeland.

With tributes to Mahn Sha flooding in from around the world, his son said the Karen desire to continue its 58-year-old conflict for independence would go on.

"The enemy can kill my father, but they can not kill my father's spirit."

- Al Jazeera

[sriracha john]

Watch Al Jazeera's video report on the story:

[sriracha john]

Karen leader's death needs digging into

The cold-blooded assassination of a Karen leader on Valentine's Day in downtown Mae Sot is a shocking event that needs investigating in-depth. All possible factors linked to the murder of 64-year-old Padoh Mahn Sha, one of the top leaders of the Karen National Union (KNU), must be thoroughly explored. He had been expected to become the new KNU Chairman after an election in November next year. So far only some of the issues possibly linked to the death have come to light. First, internal conflicts among Karen groups have been a major issue reported in the news. Second, it is also believed the killing was driven by the Burmese junta's policy to eradicate ethnic pro-democracy groups. One factor that has received less attention is local business conflicts. There are a number of investments in KNU-controlled areas including logging and mining. A Karen environmentalist said that in a meeting on KNU forestry policy last month, Padoh Mahn Sha expressed concern over the fact that Thai companies were pressuring him for logging concessions. Moreover, the Myawadee-Paan highway in Karen State to the Thai border, which passes through five km of KNU territory, still has not received approval from the KNU. Then there is the conflict over the 1,200-megawatt Hut Gyi Dam on the Salween River in Karen State. This is a one-billion-dollar joint venture of EGAT (Thailand's electricity monopoly), the Burmese junta (the State Peace and Development Council or SPDC), and a Chinese company. Padoh Mahn Sha had long been challenging the project.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/27Feb2008_news16.php

[sriracha john]

A letter to the Prime Minister of Thailand

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

H.E. Samak Sundaravej

Prime Minister

Excellency,

We would like to bring your attention to the assassination case of Phado Mahn Sha, the General Secretary of the Karen National Union (KNU) on 14 February 2008. He was shot by two men at his home in Mae Sot district of Tak Province, Thailand.

Mahn Sha was involved in a ceasefire talks with the Burmese military regime and was highly respected among both ethnic and Burman allies. He had criticised the Burmese military government for violating the ceasefire agreement after the Burmese army attacks on Karen villagers.

The killing of a key Burmese political leader has created fear and uncertainty among pro-democracy groups stationed in the Thai-Burma border. This fear does not only influence the lives of pro-democratic leaders but also ordinary Burmese and Thais who live in the area.

Therefore, we urge you as Prime Minister to call upon the Thai Police to conduct a thorough examination and investigation into the case.

We thank you for your attention.

Sincerely yours,

Anselmo Lee

Executive Director

Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development is a regional human rights organisation with 40 member-organisations in 15 countries in Asia.

================================================================================

Unfortunately for all concerned.... (exception the Burmese junta), comes the Prime Minister's Foreign Ministry representative's statements...

New approach to Burma, says Noppadon

Thailand has no choice but to put national economic interests before human rights concerns in dealing with Burma, Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said yesterday. "We will talk to them in a friendly manner on subjects that they are comfortable with," said Noppadon. Noppadon said he feels sorry for Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, but was not able to help her.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?ac...amp;pid=1841559

Edited February 28, 2008 by sriracha john

[Pepe']

Taksin, "I wasn't even in Mae Sot yesterday!"...

[sonnyJ]

Isn't this a bit of a proxy war here? The Burmese using their insurgent allies to try to destabilize Thailand and the Thais using their own insurgent allies to keep Burma off balance? Maybe I'm overly cynical, but wouldn't a small contained skirmish might serve some people's self interests? Is it possible that the Burmese junta might try to provoke a small border conflict in an attempt to unite the Burmese people against a common enemy? Some Thai generals might believe that such a conflict could help restore pride in the Thai military that has had its image tarnished as a result of the coup.

I don't think so. The Karen are a minority ethnic group that nobody wants.