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urma Issues

J a n u a r y 2 0 0 1

V O L U M E 1 1 N U M B E R 1

I N F O R M A T I O N F O R A C T I O N C A M P A I G N S F O R P E A C E G R A S S R O O T S E D U C A T I O N A N D O R G A N I Z I N G

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he following is continued from last month s ar

tide taken from the Burma Ethnic Research

Group (BERG) report on displacement in Karenni

and edited for this news letter;

Throughout up land areas in Southeast As ia ,

ethnic gr oups have a long history of m igrat io n

and populat ion movements. The Karenni are no

d i f fe rent , and l i ke o ther groups the movements

of ancestor have incorpora ted in to the i r mytho l -

ogy and g roup i den t i f i ca t i on . Cu r ren t l y th ree

f o r m s o f d i s p l a c e m e n t s p r e d o m i n a t e w i t h i n

Karenn i ; conf l i c t induced d isp lacement , deve lop-

ment induced d isp lacements and d isp lacements

arising as a resul t of resource scarci ty. These dis-

placements have given r ise to forced and volun-

tary movements of people into relocat ion si tes,

into hiding in the state, into the neighboring state

of Thai land and further into Burma. These move-

ments are f lu id and constant ly changing and s ig-

n i f i cant proport ion o f the popula t ion has exper i -

enced displacement at least once.

DISPLACEMENT CONFLICT

The ongoing conf l i c t be tween Sta te and non-

State armed groups has led to large-scale dis-

placement of civi l ians in Karenni . The causes for

this include the widespread presence of State and

non-Sta te armed groups; mi l i ta ry operat ions un-

dertaken by al l s ides, including relocat ion pol i -

c ies o f the Sta te ; human r igh ts in f r ingements;

and a prevai l ing cl imate of impunity. The conf l ict

has a lso in f luenced the way o ther d isp lacements

have been carried out since the State 's response

has been a mil i tary one in which policies are imple-

men ted w i thou t consu l ta t i on , pa r t i c i pa t i on o r

even wi th in the c iv i l - lega l f ramework.

Whi le evidence shows that vi l lagers have been

displaced by f ight ing, i t is the government in i t i -

a ted schemes, which are a imed a t separat ing

people f rom non-Sta te groups by forc ing them

into relocat ions, that has resul ted in most dis-

p lacements s ince the 1960s. In May and June

1996, relocat ion not ices were sent out on a scale

not previously experienced in Karenni . Est imates,

both f rom ins ide the s ta te and f rom the border

area, suggest that 25,206 people were d isp laced

in this year alone. By the end of the year 11,669

of these had moved to re locat ions s i tes and

4,4000 had reg is tered in re fugee camps in Tha i -

land, leaving at least 9,137 people unaccounted

for.

DISPLACEMENT DEVELOPMENT

There is very l i t t le information about the extent

o f deve lopment induced d isp lacement . S ince the

1960s, factors responsible include land nat ional-

iza t ion and d is t r ibu t ion campaigns, the const ruc-

t ion of hydro-electr ic power plants and large dams

and sma l l in f r as t ru ctu re pr o jects . In the la te

1 980s and 990s there were fewer deve lopment

pro jects in Karenn i and very few large-sca le

projects of the type undertaken twenty years ago.

The many smal l -scale ones, such as road con-

st ruct ion are reported to be bu i l t wi th fo rced

labour, of ten pooled from relocat ion si tes. A re-

lated, though separate, area consists of the con-

st ruct ion and main tenance o f mi l i ta ry garr isons

throughout the state, which has also rel ied on

forced labour. This has led to displacement of

civi l ians when cul t ivatable land has been conf is-

cated for mi l i tary use. In 1990, 745 people from

five vi l lages in Loikaw township were relocated

to exist ing vi l lages north of Loikaw. These vi l -

lages had been si tuated near to the Lawpita hy-

droelectr ic plant in an area where a second plant

(B lauchaung I I ) was comple ted in 1992.

FOOD SCARCITY

Karenni is facing a serious food p roduct ion short-

fa l l due in part to s t ructura l water scarc i ty wh ich

has been exacerbated by priorit izing water require-

ments for hydro-electr ic power plants over local

needs and a series of droughts in the last three

years. Food scarci ty is further exacerbated by

mil i tary campaigns to ensure that local ly produced

food is not passed to opposi t ion groups. There is

very l i t t le in format ion about how d isp lacement

has a f fec ted paddy p roduc t ion - as few v i llages

f rom wet-r ice growing areas have been re located

the impact is thought to be higher in hi l ly areas

such as Shadaw township where d isp lacements

are widespread and there has been a signi f icant

reduct ion in land where paddy is permit ted to be

grown. The food shortages have forced people

in to re locat ion s i tes, re fugee camps or areas

where shortages are less acute.

There is an urgent need for a thor oug h exam i-

nat ion in to the food secur i ty and nut r i t ion s ta tus

of the populat ion since the smal l number of heal th

morbidi ty reports made avai lable to th is report

indicate a high level of malnutri t ion amongst the

civi l ian populat ion, whether displaced or not. This

urma ssues

, the monthly new sletter of Burm a Issues,

is

distributed on a free-subscription basis to individuals

and groups c oncerned with the state of affairs in B urma.

P . O . B o x 1 0 7 6

S i l o m P o s t O f f i c e

B a n g k o k 1 0 5 0 4 , T h a i l a n d

d u r h a m @ m i Q z a r t t m g t t g Q t t h

D I S P L A CE M E N T I N T H E K A RE N N I CO N T E X T : P A RT 2

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would suggest that the e f fect o f the conf l i c t on

the civi l ian populat ion is perhaps more serious

than prev iously assumed.

HEALTH EDUCATION

The remoteness and civi l unrest in Karenni have

meant that deve lopment e f for ts in a l l sectors,

including heal th and educat ion, have been im-

peded. The overal l heal th status of the popula-

t ion is poor wi th ser ious malnut r i t ion and food

shortages in some areas of the state. Access to

publ ic heal th services is restr icted wi th services

pr imar i ly l imi ted to urban areas, wh i le remote

areas are infrequent ly serviced on an outreach

basis . A l though records show that the number o f

heal th faci l i t ies has increased, in real i ty some of

the faci l i t ies may wel l exist only on paper. Gov-

ernment budget const ra in ts and cont inued inse-

curi ty have affected the qual i ty of services.

Communicable diseases are the leading causes

of morbidi ty and forced relocat ions have led to a

further increase in these diseases. Karenni has

one of the highest f igures for malaria, morbidi ty

and morta l i ty in Burma. Immunizat ion ra tes are

signi f icant ly lower than nat ional averages as is

access to safe drinking water.

The number o f schoo ls , teachers and s tudents

in Karenni is lower than any other part of Burma;

however, wi thout re ference to school age popu-

la t ion , th is is d i f f i cu l t to in terpre t . Moreover the

schools are under-equipped and understaffed and

most of the teachers are not adequately t rained.

Precise l i teracy levels were not avai lable to th is

report though the government census reported a

l i teracy rate of 57% in Karenni , signi f icant ly lower

than the nat ional average. School enro l lment rates

are low with high numbers of dropouts and rep-

et i t ions. Whi le UNICEF has establ ished nat ional

programs for improving the qual i ty and access to

educat ion in some parts of the country, i t is not

known whether these have been extended to

Karenni . No information was avai lable to th is re-

port on the avai labi l i ty of educat ion programs run

by in ternat iona l humani tar ian agencies f rom in-

side Burma.

Of those displaced, few are able to stay in gov-

ernment al located relocat ion si tes because ser-

vices are inadequate and opportuni t ies to make a

livelihood are insufficient. Living in relocation sites

where there is not enough food and not enough

land to grow food has led to great suffering and

deprivat ion. This has resul ted in further increased

mobi l i ty and insecuri ty among the displaced popu-

lat ion, and an increase in the number of refugee

arrivals at the Thai border. In the absence of last-

ing and substant ive peace agreements, the dis-

placement of civi l ians is l ikely to cont inue.

CONCLUSIONS

Coupled wi th the long h is tory o f co nf l i c t , i s a

history of d isplacement in Karenni which has been

exacerbated by economic instabi l i ty and resource

scarcity. Since the 960s, the State has displaced

civ i l ians to secure decis ive mi l i ta ry so lu t ions

where to ta l occupat ion may be too d i f f i cu l t and

protracted to achieve alone. Today, the State re-

mains the leading exponent of d isplacement in

Karenni . Since 996, a t least 15% of the s ta te 's

populat ion has been displaced for mi l i tary pur-

poses, including the ent i re populat ion of Shadaw

townsh ip (w i th the excep t i on o f Shadaw town) .

Rather than providing durable solut ions, the dis-

placements have led to the expropriat ion of vast

tracts of land and natural resources, and this has

shattered the fragi le resource base of the local

communi t ies. Th is has increased the compet i t ion

for survival , as avai lable resources and opportu-

nities diminish sharply. It has also led to the alien-

at ion of the populat ion from their customary r ights

to land and resources such as water, their agri -

cu l tu ra l cus toms and t rad i t i ona l fa rming tech -

niques.

Assis tance shou ld carr ied out in accordance

wi th the pr inc ip les o f humani ty and impart ia l i ty

and wi thout d iscr iminat ion. Ass is tance thus far

has been targeted through one or more groups

wi thout necessar i ly benef i t ing the most vu lner-

able or reaching al l those with needs. Both assis-

tance through government s t ructures and cross-

border assistance rely on part ic ipants in the con-

f l ict to del iver aid. In such si tuat ions i t is d i f f icul t

to avoid diversion of resources. An approach that

seeks to assess both the humanitarian needs and

the pol i t ical impact of the del ivery of such assis-

tance is needed.

S o f a r m o s t h u m a n i t a r i a n i n t e r v e n t i o n s i n

Karenni have focussed on rel ief strategies and

short - te rm physica l inputs . Whi le ind ispensable

and signi f icant, th is assistance does l i t t le to pro-

tect the r ights of the internal ly displaced. In the

present context where the conf l i c t i s both pro-

t racted and complex, much more needs to be

done. In add i t ion to prov is ion o f humani tar ian

assis tance, the in ternat iona l communi ty needs to

make a ser ious co m m i tm ent to con f l i c t reduc-

t ion and resolut ion rather than the present re-

sponse which a ims a t conta inment .

s o

Those wh o wou ld l ike to rec ieve Co n f l i c t and

Disp lacem en t i n Ka ren n i , i n fu l l f o rm m ay con -

tact BERG at PO Box 258, Chiang Mai Universi ty,

Chiang Mai 50202, Tha i land

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A G U I D E T O B U R M A ' S O P P O S I T O N G R O U P S

January 19 95 , we pr in ted a handy gu ide to

t h e u n w i e l d y w o r l d o f B u r m a ' s o p p o s i t i o n

groups and the i r acronyms. Much has changed in

Burma since that t ime and the l ist of organiza-

t ions and the i r ub iqu i tous mul t i - le t te red names

has also seen signi f icant al terat ions. We hope th at

the fo l lowing gu ide wi l l a id in your e f for ts to get

a handle on the bewi ldering array of groups in

Burma f rom the ABSDF to the ZNF.

ALL BURMA STUDENTS' DEMOCRATIC FRONTT ( A B S D F )

The ABSDF was formed in November 1988 in

the Karen revolut ionary area. I t is composed of

s tudents and pro fess iona ls who took part in the

1988 pro-democracy upr is ing. I t fo rmed i ts own

const i tu t ion and i ts members were organ ized in to

separate mi l i ta ry and pol i t ica l win gs. In the early

1990s the ABSDF sp l i t under two prominent lead-

ers but were reun i ted in September 1996 wi th

Naing Aung as chairman and Moe The Zun as

v i ce -cha i rman .

CEASE-FIRE GROUPS

The fol lowing groups have signed cease-f ires w i th

the mi l i tary government (date in parentheses)

M y a n m a r N a t i o n a l D e m o c r a c y A l l i a n c e ( 3 1 / 3 / 8 9 )

M y a n m a r N a t i o n a l S o l i d a r i t y P a r t y ( 9 / 5 / 8 9 )

N a t i o n a l D e m o c r a c y A l l i a n c e A r m y ( 3 0 / 6 / 8 9 )

N e w M o n S t a t e P a r t y ( 2 9 / 6 / 9 5 )

S h a n S t a t e A r m y ( 2 4 / 9 / 8 9 )

N e w D e m o c r a t i c A r m y ( K a c h in S t a t e ) ( 1 5 / 1 2 / 8 9 )

K a c h i n D e f e n c e A r m y ( 1 1 / 1 / 9 1 )

Pa-0 Na t iona l Organ iza t i on (Shan S ta te ) (18 /2 /91 )

N e w M o n S t a t e P a r t y ( 2 5 / 7 / 9 5 )

Pa laung S ta te L ibe ra t i on Pa r ty / A r m y (21 /4 /9 1 )

Kayan Na t iona l Guards (Ka renn i ) (27 /2 /92 )

K a c h i n I n d e p e n d e n c e O r g a n i z a t i o n / A r m y ( 1 / 1 0 / 9 3 )

Karenn i Na t i ona l Peop le 's L ibe ra t i on Fron t (9 /5 /94 )

Karenn i Na t i ona l Democra t i c F ron t

Kayan Py i th i t Pa r t y (26 /7 /9 4 )

Shan S ta te Na t i ona l i t i es Peop les L ibe ra t i on Organ i -

z a t i o n ( 9 / 1 0 / 9 4 )

Res to ra t i on Counc i l o f Shan S ta te / Shan S ta te A rmy

(Part ia l )

U n i t e d W a O r g a n i z a t i o n / A r m y ( 8 9 )

In recent years the ABSDF has shi f ted i ts focus

towards peace fu l me thods towards change i n

Burma. Nonethe less, recent crackdowns by Tha i

author i t ies have deeply a f fected the group. Moe

The Zun was arrested for hav ing improper docu-

menta t ion when he a t tempted to leave Tha i land

for an overseas meeting in early 2000 and a train-

ing being led by Naing Aung was broken up May

30 , 2000 and some o f the pa r t i c i pan ts were

handed over to Burmese authori t ies.

N D F , D A B N C U B

The Nat iona l Democrat ic Front , the Democrat ic

Al l iance of Burma and the Nat ional Union Coun-

ci l of Burma were al l set up as umbrel la groups

for various opposi t ion organizat ions and armies.

The NDF is the o ldest , fo rmed in Mannerp law,

Karen State as an al l iance between Pa-O, Mon,

Kachin, Wa. Lahu, chin, Arakhan and Karen in-

surgent armies in May 97 6. In November 198 8,

dur ing the coup and upr is ing the format ion o f the

DAB brought together the NDF groups as wel l as

Burma opposi t ion groups in an a t tempt to serve

as a br idge between the d i f fe rent groups. The

NCUB was created in August 1992 under the lead-

ership of Bo Mya (KNU), Brang Seng (KIO) Sein

Win (NCGUB) and Nai Shwe Kyin (NMSP) to cor-

rect the perceived imbalance between Burman and

ethnic organizat ions in the DAB. Al l these organi-

za t ions were based a t Mannerp law unt i l January

1995. The SLORC's po l icy o f negot ia t ing wi th

individual groups was very damaging to al l three

of these groups, wi th the cease-f i re agreements

between the important New Mon Sta te Party and

the Kachin Independence Organizat ion and the

government present ing part icu lar ly d i f f i cu l t ob-

stacles for the group. The DAB and NDF have

been quiet during the last several years, whi le

the NCUB has retained a sl ight ly h igher prof i le.

DEMOCRATIC KAYIN BUDDHIST ORGANIZATION/

A R M Y D K B O / D K B A

A g roup o f Buddh is t Ka ren who b roke away

f rom the KNU in December 1994 under Bud-

dh i s t abbo t U Thuz ana , head quar te red nea r the

Karen cap i ta l o f Hpa-an. The DKBA a ided the

Ta tm adaw in tak ing the KNU headquar te rs a t

M a n n e r p l a w i n J a n u a r y o f 995 and s ince tha t

t ime has been respons ib le fo r c ross -boa rde r

a t tac ks i n to re fugee cam ps i n Tha i l and . The

DKBA i s a l oose l y s t ruc tu red g roup and desp i te

c o m m o n w i s d o m , n o t a ll D K B A c o m m a n d e r s

have co rd ia l re la t i ons w i th the mi l i t a ry gove rn -

m e n t .

KACHIN INDEPENDENCE ORGANIZATION/ ARMY ( K I O /

KIA)

The Kach in Independence Organ iza t i on was

for m ed in Februa ry 1 96 1 by a grou p o f Kach in

stud ents fro m Rangoon Universi ty. Zau Seng, an

o lder bro ther to two o f those s tudents and a vet -

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eran of an ear l ier Kachin insurgent army, became

the f i rs t pres ident o f the KIO. Under the leader-

s h ip o f Z au Seng and s ubs equen t l y B rang Seng ,

a s c hoo l headm as te r and ac t i v i s t , by the 19 70 s

the K IA bec ame one o f t he s t ronges t i ns u rgen t

armies in Burma. In la te 993 the K IO /K IA s igned

a peac e- f i re w i th the m i l i t a ry gov ern me nt . T he

fo l l ow ing A ugu s t B rang Seng d ied o f a s t rok e and

was rep laced by Zau Mai , a t that t ime KIO Chief -

o f -s ta f f . A f ter years o f s i lence the KIO has once

aga in en te red the news w i th repor t s tha t Z au Ma i

wa s rep laced by Gene ra l Tu Ja i on February 25 ,

20 01 . T he fo rm er l eader had a repu ta t i on fo r c o r -

rup t i on and s e l f -ben f i t t i ng bus ines s dea l i ngs .

THE KAREN NATIONAL UNION/ KAREN NATIONAL

LIBERATION ARMY ( K N U / K N L A )

T he KNU wa s fo rm ed in J u l y 19 47 unde r the

leadersh ip o f law yer S aw Ba U Gy i to safe gua rd

Karen in te res ts upon Burma ' s i ndependenc e . In

N o v e m b e r

953 the pa r t y was reo rgan iz ed i n to a

f ron t o rgan is a t i on ( the KNU) , a v angua rd po l i t i-

ca l par ty (KNUP) and an army (KAF, la ter KPLA).

In 1968 the eas te rn un i t s b rok e away to bec ome

the Karen Nat ional Uni ted Front (KNUF) under

Ma hn Ba Zahn (Chai rm an) and Gen. Bo Mya (V ice-

Cha i rman) and bo th fac t i ons o f t he a rmy in 9 7 5

bec am e k no wn as the Karen Na t iona l L ibe ra t i on

Army (KNLA) under the reun i ted KNU.

Ear l y i n 1995 two lead ing KNU s t rongho lds ,

Manerp law and Kawmoora , were ov er run by the

SLO RC army and a b reak -a way Budd h is t Karen

g r o u p , t h e D e m o c r a t i c K a y i n B u d d h i s t A r m y

(DKBA) . Wh i le p re l im ina ry d i s c us s ions hav e been

in i t i a ted a t v a r ious t imes be tween the KNU and

the gov ernment o f Burma, they hav e y e t to c ome

to a c eas e- f i re ag ree me nt . I n J anu ary 2 00 0 , G en .

Bo Mya who had led both the po l i t i ca l and mi l i -

t a ry w ing s o f t h i s Karen opp os i t i on mo v em ent

s tepped down f rom the KNU bu t re ta in ing h i s pos t

at the he ad of the KN LA . Padoe Ba The in, a c iv i l-

ian, rep lace Bo Mya as pres ident o f the KNU at

tha t t ime .

KARENNI NATIONAL PROGRESSIVE PARTY ( K N P P )

T he KNPP wa s fo rme d in 19 57 w i th the goa l t o

re -es tab l i s h the i ndependenc e c laus e i n Burma ' s

1 94 7 c on s t i t u t i o n . I t was c ons ide rab ly w eak ene d

in 1978 when the Karen Na t iona l Peop le ' s L ib -

erat ion Front (KNPLF) broke away over d isagree-

ment abou t whe ther to s eek an a l l i anc e w i th the

Commun is t Par t o f Burma (CPB) a t t ha t t ime the

m o s t p o w e r f u l o f t h e i n s u r g e n t o r g a n i z a t i o n s .

KNPP leadersh ip verbal ly agreed to a cease-f i re

in Ma rc h , 19 95 w i th the gov e rnm ent o f Burma

but i t broke down severa l months la ter in renewed

f ight ing. In recent years the KNPP has los t ground

to Burma ' s a rmed fo rc es , bu t rema ins the s o le

insurgent group s t i l l f ight ing in Karenni State.

NATIONAL COALITION GOVERNMENT OF THE UNION OF

B U R M A ( N C G U B )

A ' p a r a l l e l g o v e r n m e n t ' s e t u p i n D e c e m b e r

1990 , c ompos ed o f MPs e lec ted i n May bu t l a te r

p rev en ted f rom as s uming gov ernment i n Rangoon .

Thei r leader, Sein Win, is based in Washington

DC, f rom where he s e rv es as a rep res en ta t i v e to

the Un i ted Na t ions , na t i ona l gov ernments and

o t h e r d e m o c r a c y a n d h u m a n r i g h t s g r o u p s o n

beha l f o f t he oppos i t i on i n Burma.

NATIONAL LEAGUE FOR DEMOCRACY ( N L D )

A p r o - d e m o c r a c y m o v e m e n t f o r m e d i n S e p t e m -

ber 198 8 in the wak e o f w ides p read u nres t , v io -

l en t l y s uppres s ed by the Burmes e a rmy , and the

a b o l i t io n o f t h e 1 9 7 4 c o n s t i t u t i o n . I n t h e 1 9 9 0

genera l e lec t i on th i s pa r t y won 392 ou t o f t he

485 par l i amenta ry s ea ts . Aung San Suu Ky i i s

genera l s ec re ta ry o f t he NLD.

SHAN STATE ARMY - NORTH ( S S A )

T he SSA was founded in 1964 and fo r many

y ears was the s t ronges t i ns u rgen t g roup in Shan

Sta te . T he SSA long he ld an awk ward pos i t i on

be tween the power fu l Commun is t Par t y o f Burma,

the K IA and the gov ern me nt fo rc es . T he SSA

s igned a c eas e- f i re ag reem ent s ho r t l y a f te r t he

S lo rc c ame to power i n1988 .

SHAN STATE ARMY - SOUTH ( S S A )

F ormer l y the Shan Un i ted Rev o lu t i onary A rmy

Continued on page 7

N O N - C E A S E - F I R E G R O U P S

T h e f o l l o w i n g g r o u p s h a v e n o t s i g n e d a g r e e m e n t s .

A r a k h a n L i b e r a t i o n P a r t y / A r m y

A r a k h a n A r m y o f A r a k h a n L a n d ( N U P A )

R o h i n g y a S o l i d a r i t y O r g a n i z a t i o n (R S O ) / R o h i n g y a

A r m y

D e m o c r a t P ar t y A r a k h a n / A r a k h a n P e o p l e 's A r m y

A r a k h a n R o h i n g y a N a t i o n a l O r g a n i z a t i o n / R o h i n g y a

N a t i o n a l A r m y

A l l B u r m a S t u d e n t s D e m o c r a t i c F r o n t ( A B S D F )

A l l B u r m a M u s l i m U n i o n

Karenn i Na t iona l P rogres s Par t y (KNPP) - B rok en

C e a s e - f i r e

K a r e n N a t i o n a l U n i o n / K a r e n N a t i o n a l L i b e r a t i o n

A r m y

C h i n N a t i o n a l A r m y ( C N A )

N a t i o n a l S o c i a l i s t C o u n c i l o f N a g a l a n d ( N S C N )

Z o m i N a t i o n a l F r o n t

Peop le ' s L ibe ra t i on F ron t (PLF )

T a v o y a n A r m y ( TA )

W a N a t i o n a l O r g a n i z a t i o n ( W N O )

V a r i o u s s m a l l e r g r o u p s

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P A R T IC I PA T I O N , P E R C E P T I O N & C H A N G E

i th Ind ia hav ing f in ished i ts f i rs t cross-bor

der road wi th Burma and ta lk ing o f open-

ing another th ree border checkpo in ts , Japan look-

ing a t extend ing a US$ 9 mi l l ion in f rast ructure

d e ve lo p me n t g ra n t a n d th e n e w Th a i g o ve rn me n t

push ing fo r even s t ronger t rade and business t ies

w i th B u rma , i t se e ms th a t p ro p o n e n ts o f i n ve s t -

m e n t a n d t r a d e a s a p r a g m a t i c a p p r o a c h t o

ch a n g e a re g a in in g mo me n tu m . B u t h o w fe a -

s ib le is th is app roach in Burma. To conside r the

q u e s t io n o f i n ve s tme n t a s a imp e tu s fo r ch a n g e

requ i res a ser ious exam inat ion o f the dyn am ics

sur round ing deve lopment , resource extract ion and

the soc ia l and po l i t ica l cond i t ions in the country

Burma toda y is a co un try th a t has been shaped

by war , and the v ines o f conf l ic t p lan ted over the

past century have borne abundant f ru i t . Cur rent ly

there are no less than 30 independent a rmed

g ro u p s o p e ra t in g in B u rma . Of th o se g ro u p s th a t

h a ve e n te re d ce a s e - f i r e a g re e me n ts w i th th e

g o ve rn me n t , mo s t re ta in th e i r we a p o n s a n d a

degree o f contro l over the i r te r r i to ry . Approx i -

ma te ly o n e o u t o f e ve ry se ve n te e n me n b e twe e n

the age o f 15-64 serves in one o f Burma 's var i -

ous armies. The mi l i ta ry inst i tu t ions in Burma cast

the i r long and sober ing shadows over a l l aspects

o f l i fe in the country .

Th e m i l i ta r i za t io n o f B u rma w i l l co n t in u e to

haunt Burma in the long te rm and demands a t -

ten t ion in d iscuss ions o f change. The Br i t ish sp l i t

th e co u n t r y a d min is te r in g ce n t ra l B u rma a n d th e

fron t ie r a reas separa te ly , and in many ways the

two par ts have remained separa te . The wet r ice

growing lowlands have had more access to cap i -

ta l and have deve loped more qu ick ly . High land

peop le must eke out a l iv ing on the h i l ls ides wi th

less pro f i tab le crops, wi th even op ium growers

earn ing neg l ig ib le amounts fo r the i r e f fo r ts . Most

o f the peop le in the h igh lands are e thn ic minor i -

t i e s w i th th e lo w la n d s o ccu p ie d p r ima r i l y b y B u r -

mans. Whi le most o f the ear ly insurgencies arose

from student and pro fess iona l g roups in Rangoon,

they qu ick ly moved to the h igh land areas where

in su rg e n t a rm ie s co n t in u e to h o ld o u t .

The h igh land areas, however , a re some o f the

most resource r ich areas in Burma. Unfor tunate ly ,

real izing the benefi ts of the plenti fu l metals, gems,

u n cu t fo re s ts a n d r i ve rs (d a mme d fo r e le c t r i c

power) o f the h igh lands requ i res cap i ta l , equ ip-

me n t a n d kn o wle d g e b e yo n d th a t o f mo s t lo ca l

peop le . On the o ther hand, i t is these resources

from the border a reas have been and wi l l con-

t in u e to b e th e o b je c t o f mo s t in ve s tm e n t a n d

trade wi th Burma. In ternat iona l investors prov ide

th e ca p i ta l , a n d th e e q u ip me n t a n d th e kn o wl -

e d g e c o m e f r o m B u r m a ' s u r b a n c e n t e r s .

Unsurpr is ing ly , the benef i ts go back to those ur -

ban centers and overseas, wi th the loca l e thn ic

groups benef i t ing l i t t le . As fo re ign investors are

requ i red to have loca l par tners, much o f the pro f i t

tha t remains in the country goes in to the pock-

e ts o f the mi l i ta ry perso nne l th a t head both pr i -

va te and s ta te en terpr ises. The precedent se t

dur ing the 1 99 0s is tha t la rge sca le deve lop men t

and industr ia l p ro jects in i t ia ted th rough the cen-

t ra l government , such as the Yadana Gas P ipe-

l ine, the Ye-Tavoy rai l road or the current Salween

Dam pro ject , have had negat ive impacts on loca l

p o p u la t io n s wh i le th e b e n e f i t s a cc ru e p r ima r i l y

to Rangoon. A l ienat ion o f a por t ion o f the c i t i -

zenry is a problem in any country, but i t is par-

t i cu la r l y d a n g e ro u s wh e n th o se p e o p le wh o a re

be ing a l ienated have independent a rmies o f ex-

per ienced f igh ters and access to arms.

As proponents o f investment a re qu ick to po in t

ou t , the ans wer to th is conu ndr um is to insure

that the e thn ic g roups rece ive benef i ts f rom re-

so u rce e x t ra c t io n a n d d e ve lo p me n t a c t i v i t i e s in

their areas. However, in Burma this is more easi ly

sa id than done. The mi l i ta ry government wou ld

c la im th a t th e y a re a t te mp t in g to d o th i s th ro u g h

the Border Areas Deve lopment Program (BADP).

However , a t the very best BADP pro jects are per -

ceived by ethnic people as too l i t t le too late. More

co mmo n ly B A DP a c t i v i t i e s a re se e n a s a t te mp ts

to fo rc ib ly ass imi la te e thn ic peop le in to the ma-

jo r i t y B u rma p o p u la t io n a n d fu r th e r ce n t ra l g o v -

ernment dominat ion o f border a reas. Road and

b r id g e p ro je c ts a l lo w g re a te r e x t ra c t io n o f r e -

sources and rap id army dep loyment , schoo ls are

se e n a s a t te m p t in g to in d o c t r in a te e th n ic yo u th s ,

a n d u n d e rs ta f fe d , u n d e r -e q u ip p e d a n d o ve r l y e x -

p e n s ive h o sp i ta l s o f fe r l i t t l e b e n e f i t to lo ca l

people.

Br idges, roads, schoo ls and hosp i ta ls a re re -

sources tha t e thn ic a reas are bad ly in need o f .

The prob lem is tha t in f r ast ruct ure is a va lue neu-

t ra l too l . I t can prov ide benef i t to o r wreak havoc

u p o n lo ca l co mmu n i t ie s d e p e n d in g o n u se a n d

admin is t ra t ion . Ci rcumstances as ide , peop le see

any pro ject o f Burma 's mi l i ta ry government as

a u to ma t i ca l l y su sp e c t , a n d th e y h a ve g o o d re a -

son to fee l th is way. Ul t imate ly , any pro ject in i t i -

a te d f ro m o u ts id e a co m mu n i ty b y su ch a w id e ly

desp ised source, is no t go ing to f ind acceptance.

And the prob lem is as much a mat ter o f percep-

t ion as i t is the in ten t ion o f the government . The

6

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c ruc ia l e lement m is s ing f rom gov ernment

pro jec ts is rea l loca l par t ic ipat ion, a prob-

l e m w h i c h ' s i m p o r t a n c e c a n ' t b e u n d e r -

es t imated. A s ing le road pro jec t is seen in

en t i re l y d i f f e ren t l i gh t when the degree o f

loca l input is increased. The at t i tude to-

wards i n f ras t ruc tu re p ro jec ts i n c eas e- f i re

areas , where loca l groups are at leas t in-

fo rmed o f t he p roc es s a re s ign i f i c an t l y d i f -

ferent than in the c iv i l war zones, because

the loca l people fee l they have a marg ina l

degree o f c on t ro l ov e r the s i tua t i on .

So wha t does th i s a l l mean? No mat te r

w ha t pa th is tak en tow ard c hange , the

fu tu re o f Burma p res en ts s ome s e r ious

obs tac les . An th ropo log is t s hav e l ong rev -

e led in the Bu rm a's e thn ic and l ingu is t ic

d i v e rs i t y , bu t t he p rob lems s p r ing ing f rom

tha t d i v e rs i t y hav e p lagued the c oun t ry

po l i t i c a l l y . T he mi l i t a ry gov ernment ' s an -

s wer to th i s p rob lem has been to we ld the

c o u n t r y t o g e t h e r w i t h f o r c e a n d w i t h f e a r

and, i ron ica l ly , d iv is ive tac t ics . Whi le some

may a rgue tha t thes e tec hn ique has been

s uc c e s s fu l i n p rev en t ing s epara t i s t g roup s

f rom leav ing the Un ion o f My anm ar , i t

i s un tenab le under a p roc es s o f dem oc ra -

t i z a t i on . I nv es tme n t and dev e lopm ent a re

nei ther inherent ly good, nor inherent ly bad.

Dev e lopme nt a t t he c om p le te d i s c re t i on

of a hate d cent ra l auth or i ty in a h igh ly po-

la r i z ed c u l tu ra l and po l i t i c a l env i ronment

does no t lend itse l f to a pos i t ive proce ss

o f d e m o c r a t i z a t i o n . S e v e r a l d e c a d e s o f

ex ter ior inves tment in Indones ia d id indeed

lead to a dem oc rac y m ov em ent am ong the

midd le c las s J av anes e popu la t i on . How-

ever, once the res t ra in ts o f the Suharto

reg ime were l i f t ed the e thn ic popu la t i ons

exploded in to protes t and v io lence and the

dis in tegrat ion of the count ry looks increas-

ing ly l i ke ly , wi th people so d isenf ranchised

tha t they fee l democ ra t i c rep res en ta t i on

i s impos s ib le . I nv es tmen t tha t i s equ i tab l y

d i s t r i bu ted c o u ld po ten t i a l l y go a l ong wa y

to heal ing the wounds of conf l ic t in Burma,

b u t d e v e l o p m e n t w i t h o u t t h e p a r t i c i p a t i o n

o f thos e be ne f i t e d i s p rob lema t i c to s ay

the leas t .

In the end , for in ve s tm en t to lead to de-

mo c ra t i z a t i on requ i res a de mo c ra t i c d i s -

t r i bu t i on o f res ourc es . An equ i tab le re -

s ourc e d i s t r i b u t i on , i n tu r n , requ i res pa r-

t i c i pa t i on on the pa r t o f t hos e rec e iv ing

those resources . I t i s poss ib le for th is pro-

c es s to oc c ur i n tand em w i th fo re ign i n -

ve s tm en t , but i t i s a d is t inc t process . Re-

c en t l y , f o re ign i nv es tmen t has s e rv ed to d i s en-

f ranc h is e po r t i ons o f t he popu la t i on tha t mos t

need to be b rough t i n to g rea te r pa r t i c i pa t i on i n

the na t i ona l po l i t i c a l and ec onomic d ia logue to -

wa rd pav ing the way fo r a peac e fu l t rans i t i on to

a de mo cra t ic B urm a. Issues th at led to the c iv i l

war and thos e tha t res u l ted f rom 50 y ears o f

conf l ic t need to be addressed as f i rs t pr ior i ty . As

these are addressed, inves tment may indeed have

a pos i t i v e e f fec t i n Burma.

E. Mi l ler

Continued from page 5

(SURA) , th i s s ou thern Shan S ta te bas ed a rmed

group jo ined Khun Sa ' s Mon g Ta i A r m y (MT A) i n

19 85 . W hen the MT A d i s s o lv ed i n ea r l y 19 96 ,

the SURA was re fo rmed under Yawd Serk who

p ledged to s tand f i rm ly aga ins t d i c ta to rs h ip and

dru gs . A y ear l a te r the SURA leaders h ip j o ined

the SSA a long w i th s ec ond MT A s p l i n te r g roup

Shan S ta te Na t iona l A rmy (SSNA) . Howev er , t he

mi l i t a ry gov ernment re fus ed to ex tend the SSA

c eas e- f i re to th i s new s ou thern b ranc h and f i gh t -

i ng c on t inued . Rec en t l y f i gh t i ng has i n tens i f i ed

as UWSA t roops hav e mov e inc reas ing l y i n to a r -

eas con t ro l le d by the SSA - S ou th. The recent

f i gh t i ng i n the a rea o f T ac h i l ek /Mae Sa i wh ic h

ex tended in to T ha i l and , was on ly the mos t re -

cen t inc iden t in a long ser ies o f SPDC /SSA So uth

c on f l i c t s .

UNITED WA STATE ARMY

T h e U W S A w a s f o r m e d w h e n t h e B u r m a D e -

mo c rac y S o l i da r i t y A rm y , a Wa g roup tha t had

m u t i n i e d f r o m t h e C o m m u n i s t P a r t y o f B u r m a

ear l y i n 1989 and immed ia te l y s igned a c eas e-

f i r e a g r e e m e n t w i t h t h e g o v e r n m e n t , j o i n e d w i t h

the Wa Na t iona l Counc i l t ha t s ame y ear . A f te r 6

y ears o f c on f l i c t w i th Khun Sa and the MT A, the

UWSA bec ame the l a rges t he ro in p roduc er i n

Burma in the mid 990s and a l s o s ta r ted a h igh l y

p r o f i t a b l e t r a d e in a m p h e t a m i n e t a b l e t s . T h e

UWSA i s c u r ren t l y the l a rges t non-s ta te a rmy in

B u r m a .

S o u r c e s : B u r m a : In s u r g e n c y a n d t h e P o l i ti c s

o f E t h n i c i t y b y M a r t i n S m i t h

BURMA IN REVO LT by Ber t i l L in tne r

D A B N e w s l e t t e r , N o 1 , J a n 1 9 9 5

B u r m a A l e r t , N o 1 2 , V o l 5 , D e c 1 9 9 4

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jnu ry news

S

uu Kyi and junta in talks Aftersev

eral months of rumors U N envoy R azali

Ismail confirmed reports that the govern-

ment of Burma and Aung San Suu Kyi w ere

in talksfor national reconciliation follow-

ing a visit duringthefirst w eek in January.

No details, however, were divulged. As a

result of the meeting Burm ese authorities

ordered attack on the NLD and Aung San

SuuKyi by thestate-run media halted dur-

ing the talks and NLD members agreed to

reciprocate. As the talks continued NLD

Vice-Chairman Tin Oo and 85 other party

members were released from government

detention on January25

%

. Groups both in-

side and outside Burma are cautiously op-

timistic about the talks.

ndiat buy Burmese gas Th eGasAu

thority of India signed a Memorandum

of Understanding with Brown & Root,

Cairn Energy and Shell to buy Burmese gas

in1998,and nowthetwo countriesarere-

ported to b e exploring possibilities of bring-

ing gas from Burma into India. There have

been discussions about bringing the gas

from Arakan State through a corridor in

Bangladesh toBurma,but Dhakahasbeen

reluctant to give such permission for fear

of a dome stic political backlash.

hin Nyunt recognizes AIDS prob

lem

In a interview with the Myan-

mar Times SPDC Sec. 1 Lt-Gen . Khin

Nyunt said that AIDS

is

a national cause

and acknowledged the danger of the epi-

demic in stark contrast to his attitude dur-

ing a October 1999 interview where he

claimed that AIDS was point used as a

method of political attack against Burma.

The UNAIDSprogramhasestimated that

more than 440,000 people in Burma are

infected with the virus that causes AIDS.

Bur ma's governm ent has been criticized for

its

denial of the problem.

U

NHCR cut refugee allowance The

UNHCRofficein India has informed

Burmeserefugeesliving in New D ehli that

it won't be possible to continue providing

subsistence allowances to everyone due to

funding issues in the refugee agency.

UNHC R had provided a monthly allowance

of

1,400

Indian Rupees

(US

30) per per-

son. There are about 800 refugees living

in New Dehli. Thisnewsmet with dismay

from the refugee community which de-

manded UNHCR continue the allowances

or resettle them in third countries.

urma B usinessmen look to counter

ILO U Zaw Min W in, general secre-

tary of the Union of Myanmar Chambers

of Commerce and Industry said that a 10

member business group had been formed

to look at strategies to counter the effects

of ILO sanctions. The group will monitor

negative impacts of the sanctions and liaise

with the government over possible tactics.

Our w orkers want to be protected, as well

as our employers from the effects of the

sanctions , he said.

B U R M I S S U E S

P O B O X 1 0 7 6

S I L O M P O S T O F F I C E

B A N G K O K 1 0 5 0 4

T H A I L A N D

D D R E S S C O R R E C T I O N R E Q U E S T E D

P R I N T E D M T E R I L S

I R M I L