[Myanmar] Peace With Ethnic Minorities Is Vital For Myanmar

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EDITORIAL

Peace with ethnic minorities is vital for Myanmar

The Nation

MYANMAR: -- The Karen are the latest armed group to sign a ceasefire with the govt; it's essential that the Kachin join in too if the country is to see further positive reforms and the end of sanctions.

When Myanmar's President Thein Sein and opposition leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi met with Karen representatives in the capital Nay Phi Daw and in Yangon last week, it was a historic moment for the country. The meetings have raised the prospect of a lasting peace with the Karen, who have fought a brutal war with the government for over sixty years.

This move should also augur well for the ongoing political reforms in the country. Myanmar needs a stable political environment in order to progress with economic development and put a democratic process in place.

The Karen are now among the major ethnic minorities along the border to have signed a ceasefire agreement with Nay Phi Daw. The 22-member team of Karen representatives included all their major leaders, and the atmosphere during the talks was said to be cordial throughout.

This boost in confidence building is unprecedented, and the government will want to make sure that the ceasefire deal is implemented quickly and effectively. President Thein Sein knows that the international community is gradually softening its position on Myanmar due to the recent series of fast and solid transformations in the country. The outcome of parliamentary by-elections earlier this month has been lauded by international observers as contributing to the democratic process. The opposition National League for Democracy swept to victory in those polls and there has been no adverse reaction from the government.

In light of this, it is only natural for the government to move on to making peace with the ethnic minorities. While the Karen and the government are talking peace, other minorities, especially the Kachin, are still weighing their options. Sporadic fighting between the government and Kachin rebels continues in the north, where there are concerns among observers about whether the peace talks are genuine. Human rights organisations say that serious abuses are still occurring and that thousands of Kachin people have been displaced from their villages.

The reception for the Karen delegation from both President Thein Sein and Aung San Suu Kyi will help with the reconciliation process in that part of the country. They have signed a 15-point peace plan that includes the setting up of a liaison office, a comprehensive resettlement programme, de-mining the border area, as well as development plans for war-devastated areas.

Both sides have to move fast and confidently to ensure that the ceasefire holds and that rights and guarantees are well respected. It is indeed urgent that other minorities join in the process. At the moment, the government and the Kachin are still far apart in their peace talks. If the Karen deal with the government can prove to be effective, others will come forward and make similar ceasefire agreements hold.

Nay Phi Daw wants economic sanctions to be lifted for good, and quickly. Although positive changes have taken place inside Myanmar since March last year, and these have been recognised internationally, both the US and EU have demanded that reconciliation with the minorities must be a top priority. President Thein Sein seems to be working hard to maintain the momentum of change.

The soon-to-be announced US envoy to Myanmar will be a highlight in US-Myanmar rapprochement, as it will for the country's relations with the rest of the world. The sanctions, which will soon become a thing of the past, did work in the sense that they exerted extraordinary pressure for the government to implement reforms seriously and quickly.

National reconciliation with the minorities, if it succeeds, is thus obviously linked to the lifting of sanctions and Myanmar's return to the international fold.

-- The Nation 2012-04-12