Kachin women refugees sheltering in camps in the besieged town of Laiza have received a message of support from National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi. A group of Burmese journalists visiting Laiza's camps on Tuesday hand-delivered Aung San Suu Kyi's statement that was addressed to Kachin women refugees, according to Voice of America (VOA).
In Suu Kyi's statement, the opposition leader reminded the women that the international community hasn’t forgotten about them and not to “fall victim to depression and lose hope”. The statement came a week after 3 civilians were killed and 4 injured - several of which were children - by government shelling on Kachin Independence Organization's (KIO) Laiza headquarters. Conditions in the camps for the 20,000 refugees are continuing to deteriorate. Food and medicine are in short supply.
Aung San Suu Kyi pledged to “work closely with women in Kachin State towards peace”. Whether or not her latest statement contradicts earlier comments made late last year when she declared not to intervene in the Kachin peace process unless asked by the government is up for interpretation. The earlier statement was met with a barrage of criticism by many Kachin civil society groups and activists.
It remains to be seen whether the recent statement is the Noble Peace Prize laureate’s way of making amends for previous comments on the conflict in Kachin state that many thought to be weak. But what is obvious is that Suu Kyi's new statement is directly addressing Kachin women.
“The responsibility of mothers is to teach their children to love and value peace. This is practical and long-term work. Meanwhile, please try to endure this situation as well as you can and try to overcome the problem of disunity.”
While the statement has been welcomed by some Kachin, others will likely be disappointed that Burma's famed opposition leader stopped short of openly criticizing the recent offensives by Burma's armed forces that killed and injured civilians in Laiza. Or that she fails to criticize them for their numerous abuses against Kachin women. In Human Rights Watch 2011 report: Untold Miseries: Wartime Abuses and Forced Displacement in Burma’s Kachin State, it tells of rape being used as a weapon of war against Kachin women by government soldiers.
Another notable case, well known amongst the Kachin community, is that of Sumlut Roi Ja, a 26-year-old woman last seen being dragged away at gun point by Burma army soldiers near Mai Ja Yang in October 2011.
