The Burmese government’s demand that a Kachin cultural body mediate and pressure the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) to accept the government’s offer of peace has been refused, said sources in the organization.
The Kachin Literature and Culture Body (Jinghpaw Laili Laika hte Htunghking Hpung - JLH in Kachin) based in Northern Shan State is dominated by members of the Kachin community. It made the decision on October 27 to refuse to either persuade or pressure the KIO to sit with the government for peace talks with the government, said the sources.
Earlier, the nominally civilian government led by former-General Thein Sein pressed the Northern Shan State Kachin cultural body to persuade the Kachin Independence Army’s (KIA) 4th Brigade based in Northern Shan State to accept the government’s offer for peace talks, the sources added.
A member of the JLH told Kachin News Group, “The Burman-led government’s peace offer does not guarantee political rights to the Kachin people. Their motive is to quickly transform the KIA’s Brigade 4 to a Burmese Army-controlled militia group like the Kachin Defense Army (Kawnghka militia group). This is the reason why we cannot mediate between the government and the KIA.”
The government’s latest peace offer to the KIA’s Brigade 4 comes after a military offensive on the brigade in which the Burmese Army seized the brigade’s command at Loikang during the last week of September.
There are seven battalions under the KIA’s Brigade 4: No. 2, No. 8, No. 9, No. 19, No. 29, No. 36, and No. 38 in Northern Shan State, based in three townships: Kutkai, Muse, and Namtu.
The isolated KIA brigade has been pressured many times to surrender or transform into militia groups by the Burmese government before it launched a new military offensive on the KIA on June 9.
