Hot Debate Led to Revision of State (r)

[shan@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Hot Debate Led to Revision of Statement
Shan States Army (S.S.A.) 

8 October 98, S.H.A.N., Chiangmai 
	
S.H.A.N. -Dissidents in the Shan State Army debated hotly against plan to
revise their 19 September statement, said a source from the North.

The SSA and the its ally, the Shan State National Army, had previously
offered themselves to mediate between the ruling junta and the NLD that has
been " taking steps" to convene the long awaited Parliament.

The junta, not unexpectedly, did not consider it favorably. On 21
September, an intelligence officer was sent to the SSA HQ in Hseng Keo to
protest it. The latter replied politely that revision was "out of question".

Afterwards, Sao Hsoten and Sao Loimao were "invited" to the Lashio MI
office to receive an ultimatum. The result was the emergency meeting of the
SSA's council on 1 October which finally resolved to rewrite their
statement in the following way:

"The NLD's call for parliament would create confrontation with the SPDC and
damage the national reconciliation efforts. Moreover, we are worried it
might lead to unnecessary bloodshed. With the interests of the people at
heart, we would sincerely like to present that the convening of the
Parliament may be ill-advised". It however continued to counsel all those
concerned that "Political problems should be resolved only politically".

Many at the meeting were reported to have voted to resume the armed
struggle. "They were finally prevailed over by warnings from cooler heads
that the forced relocations in the South would spread further into the
North which they had no way to counter at present," said the source.
"Without this threat from the SPDC, they might not have agreed to alter
their statement".

The source, however, could not say how many were now ready to join
Yordserk's Southern Command that is still fighting against the junta.

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