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Krenni Statement.




NATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE UNION OF BURMA Statement Concerning the Current
Military Actions of SLORC
 in the KNPP Controlled Area (July 2, 1995) 1. The SLORC entered into a
cease-fire with the KNPP ( Karenni National Progressive Party) on March
21, 1995. SLORC has broken the fundamental agreement and has been
preparing for military actions since the Second Week of June.  2.  The
KNPP issued a statement on June 28 stating that the KNPP had agreed to the
cease-fire because SLORC had agreed to 16 points put forward by the KNPP.
Among those 16 are the following: 
	- The present military status quo in both the SLORC designated and
the KNPP designated areas was to be maintained. 
	- There was to be a cessation of the practice of forcing civilians
to act as military porters in the whole of Karenni. 
	- There was to be a cessation of the practice of collecting porter
fees in the whole of the Karenni area. (Porter fees are bribes paid by
civilians to SLORC military officers to avoid being forced into potering.)
3.  In spite of the cease-fire agreement, SLORC took the following actions
in Loikaw
     beginning in June: 
	- Forced civilians to act as military porters and began collecting
porter fees bribes from civilians. 
	- Seized civilian trucks and horses to use for military
transportation. 
	- Used 10 regiments to launch a military offensive against the KNPP. 
The stated reasons for these SLORC violations of the cease-fire are
preparation for border tension that will be aggravated by the political
change in Thailand following the Thai national election and to suppress
the stealing of logs.  4. In reality, the true objective of SLORC is to
control the Karenni-Thai border area and to surround, block and increase
the pressure on the KNPP.  This is a systematic ploy to weaken the
activities of the KNPP.  5. Like several other ethnic organizations, the
KNPP entered into a military cease-fire with SLORC because of hardships,
restrictions and pressure. We are convinced that the organizations that
have entered into military cease-fires with SLORC wish to endeavor to
continue to find, under each organizations particular circumstances, a
political resolution aimed at establishing genuine nationwide peace.  6.
However, by breaking the cease-fire agreement with the KNPP with its
recent military activities, SLORC is causing the prospects for finding a
political resolution, by negotiation with the organizations that have
entered military cease-fires, to fade away.  7. SLORC violently suppressed
the 1988 popular democratic uprising; it crushed the peaceful opposition
forces who rejected the 1990 May elections; it pretended to establish
peace by putting various pressures on ethnic armed organizations who
refused to enter into cease-fires.  8. These ploys by SLORC will not bring
genuine long lasting peace. On the contrary, they will cause indefinite
civil war and threaten the peace and security of the entire region.  9.
Should SLORC have a desire for genuine, long lasting peace it needs to
show mutual respect, establish equal relation, and recognize all
legitimate political forces. This would lead to genuine peace
negotiations.  10. To improve the welfare of the people and to achieve a
political resolution between SLORC, the democratic forces led by Aung San
Suu Kyi, and the ethnic armed organizations it will be necessary to carry
out a negotiated working plan for starting the democratization process in
Burma. In order to achieve it the participation of the internal and the
international community is appreciated. 
Ended....................................................................... 
This information is distributed by the All Burma Students Democratic Front
(ABSDF) News Agency (Dawn Gwin Headquarters). 
Shanlay 

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