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7 September 1999 

Lambs On The Altar
In these days, the brave Burmese soldiers lost their lives in combat, some 
have become invalids. It was a pity, because they were sacrificing their 
lives neither for the sake of their country nor the sake of their own, but 
for the sake of Military Regime to be in power. Every family wants to find 
their sons, their husbands, their fathers, to return home safe and sound 
from the frontline. But in failing to do so, we understand and share their 
grievance, just like the grieve of our Shan People when they lost their 
relatives.

In the opinion of SSA we do not want these killings, but we have to fight 
and struggle for the survival of our people and restore our freedom. We do 
not want to solve these problems in blood, we want to solve by peaceful means.
Due to this opinion, we proposed the top brass of the SPDC (Senior General 
Than Shwe, General Khin Nyunt, General Maung Aye) to solve the problems by 
peaceful means, altogether 4 times, but was rejected. Instead they forced 
their soldiers (who were the sons of the Burmese people) to increase their 
efforts in the ethnic cleansing process. Therefore SSA have no choice, but 
to protect themselves. In these fightings many of the sons of the Burmese 
peasants had sacrificed their lives for nothing.

During the past 4 years against SSA, these sons of the Burmese people lost 
in 1,500 dead and 2,000 disables in order to gain peace by way of blood. 
This figure does not include the casualties in other front. We SSA and the 
Shan people also have pity and feel sorry for them. 

In the past the Shan States and Burma were good neighbors, but were 
colonized by the British (Burma in 1885, Shan States 1887). In 1948, 
believing that the Burmese were trust worthy, fair and equal, the ethnic 
people had joined hands to gain independence, but they were later enslaved 
under the Burmese military dictators. The peace and unity of the union 
disintegrated and the killings went on until these present day. Although 
SSA wish to solve these problems by peaceful means and did proposed but 
were rejected. It was sure that the military juntas are obese in their 
power and will hold it at any cost, by sacrificing the future human 
resources of our country. So, we want to advice every parents and students 
to think deeply to call back their sons and friends, not to become the 
lambs those have been sacrificed on the altar for the sake of the Tyrannies.
There are two reasons why SPDC refused the proposed of the SSA. They are:  
(a) Fearing that they might lost their grip in power. 
(b) If the world knows the truth and intervene, they fear of been accuse 
to be the true disintegrator of the Union.

During these military regimes they had made 3 historical mistakes.  
(a) Since 1962 up to the present, the military juntas had been violating 
the people. Killing of the students and the people, closing down the 
universities and institutes, thus lowering the standard of education. They 
enslave the people and killing them like plants and animals. As a result, 
even during this SPDC regime, the Shan States people had suffered more than 
20,000 (twenty thousand) dead, 15,000 villages relocated and the lost was 
more than 10,000 (ten thousands million baht) in which all historical 
evidence, ancient relics such as pagodas, monasteries (where old written 
scripts were kept), other cultural relics and traditional way of life were 
destroyed. 

(b) The military junta had not only torn the Panglong agreement but also 
destroyed the Spirit of Panglong and the Republic Union of Burma.

(c) If these problems are solve by peaceful means, the international 
communities have to mediate, in doing so they fear it will expose their 
involvement in the drug trade.

The main objective of the SPDC is to hold on their power, no matter it may 
cost. As a result Burma is losing in every aspects, such as financial 
aspect, social aspect, educational aspect, political aspect, democratic 
aspect, the aspects on the rights of human and ethnics. As long as they are 
caring only for their own interest and try to solve these problems by 
military means, the killings will goes on, the sons of the Burmese people 
will be more lambs that has to be sacrificed on the altar for the sake of 
the power obese junta.

Sai Lern Seng 
Namkham

----------

WHERE TO?

On emphasizing the political aspect of the Shan States we had been 
following behind our opponent intead of leading them. We must learn the 
weakness of our past leaders as a lesson and correct it for the future. The 
activities for freedom of the Shan States can be divided into three periods. 

(A) Pre independence period, in 1947. The Saophas were against the idea to 
gain independence with the Burmese. But at that time "Shan States People's 
Freedom Congress: which was the direct projection of the AFPFL - Anti 
Fascist People's Freedom League", led by General Aung San. The policy of 
SSPFC was anti feudalist and pro-Burmese. It was Shan against Shans without 
sharing a common view for our Shan peoples. By that time Sao Shwe Theik, 
the Saopha of Yawnghwe, was lured from his political standpoint, in which 
the bait was "the first president of the Republic Union of Burma". It was 
the first time we Shans lost. From that time to 1962. Shan SSPFC was 
against the Shan Saophas. 

(B) In 1962, BSPP (Burmese Socialist Program Party) led by General Ne Win 
came to power by a coup d'etat which the Shan State Government was deposed. 
During this Era (from 1962-1988) the Burmese had divided into three 
antagonistic factions. They were:  
1. The ruling BSPP led by General Ne Win. 
2. The Democratic Government in Exile, led by the ex-Prime Minister U Nu, 
based in Thailand. 
3. The Burma Communist Party led by Thakhin Than Tun and later Thakhin Ba 
Thein Tin, based in China. 
Each faction filled their tanks with the ethnics, as war fodders. During 
this period we Shans and other ethnics not only lost their lives in combat; 
the people also lost their lives and properties in the cross-fire. It was 
also a lost for the Shans. 

(C) From 1988 up to the present, the regime was the SLORC which was later 
renamed SPDC. In this periods the Burmese still had influence upon the 
political parties and cease-fire groups of the ethnics. To solve the 
problem of uprising in 1988, the junta had to make peace with the armed 
ethnic groups. In another hand the ethnic was ousted Thakhin Ba Thein Tin 
from the head of BCP. As the Burmese lost command on the ethnic, a 
cease-fire was very necessary.

The cease-fire groups in the Shan States, they made cease-fire without 
representing the state or nationality; they just made terms separately, 
thinking for their own personal interest or only for their own group, were 
lured into the Burmese trap. The ethnic Shans had had another lost.

The people were given rights to establish political parties, after they 
had shown the desire and voted against the junta, the result of the 
election was not recognized. The military junta while soothing the people 
with a false democracy in one hand, they constructed their military might 
in the other. They said the people could proposed their desire freely only 
in the National Convention. In another Daw Aung San Suu Kyi declared to 
obtain Democracy. Our Shan political leaders are also just waiting for the 
National Convention and Democracy. In this way 11 years had influence and 
divided by the juntas. As for our political parties, instead of 
representing our nationalities, they cannot even stand for their own 
parties. Although the people had shown their desire by voting, it was useless.
What is our future? 

For our political Party, the SNLD, will there be changing or waiting 
desperately to become withers and die. And for the cease-fire groups will 
they change? Are the going to keep cease-firing for an unknown length of 
time, waiting to be annihilate? What else? Our Shan people were wondering 
for their future.

Lern Seng 
(SSA)


SSA 
POBox 41 
Mae Ping PO 
Chiangmai 50301 
Thailand
E-mail: holo <ssanews@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Tel/Fax: 66 53 338 261