Ethnic group leaders want Burman state to comprise three divisions

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Ethnic group leaders want Burman state to comprise three divisions

NAYPYITAW: -- Myanmar’s ethnic armed group leaders have discussed a draft constitution that proposes a single Burman state within a federal union, The Irrawaddy Online reported on Wednesday.

On the second day of a summit held in Mai Ja Yang in Kachin state, the ethnic groups proposed that Burman state should be made up of three divisions in which the majority population is thought to be Burman instead of seven divisions as it is today.

Ethnic minority leaders believe this will foster more equitable political representation and sharing of resources.

Currently, Burma comprises seven ethnic states namely the Chin, Kachin, Karen, Karenni, Mon and Shan and seven divisions. Burmans or Barma have been considered to comprise about 60 percent of the national population.

Nai Hong Sar, vice chairman of the ethnic armed group coalition United Nationalities Federal Council, said that ethnic minority leaders have found it difficult to accept the current constitutional allowance for Burmans to retain political control over seven regions in the country and be allocated the larger share of resources.

“Based on our current draft, Mandalay, Magwe and Pegu divisions will become a state for Burmans,” he said, adding “we all should be equal”.

The constitution has been extensively criticized for entrenching the armed forces presence in the legislature, for barring State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi from the president and for granting little autonomy to ethnic states.

Burma’s seven divisions are listed in the 2008 constitution as Rangoon, Sagaing, Magwe, Mandalay, Irrawady, Pegu and Tenasserim. The FCDCC recommended that Rangoon, Sagaing, Tenasserim and Irrawaddy divisions which have large ethnic minority populations become what they termed as “nationalities state”.

The Restoration Council of Shan State however objected to the idea that Shan State be called nationalities state.

Three groups were absent from the summit. They were the Wa State Army, the Taang National Liberation Army and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/ethnic-group-leaders-want-burman-state-comprise-three-divisions/


-- Thai PBS 2016-07-28