Opposition Burmese politicians in exile have come down heavily on the Burmese military junta’s former Prime Minister Gen-Thein Sein for trying to foment trouble and start a war between ethnic tribes.
Thailand based politicians in exile have condemned the strategy adopted by the junta of eliminating ethnic people as was in evidence by Thein Sein’s speech in Kachin State in northern Burma.
The former PM, who is the chairman of the junta backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), had encouraged leaders of the Kachin sub-tribes, the Rawang and Lisu to seek revenge on the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) or the Jinghpaw tribe during a secret meeting with the tribal leaders on February 25 in Puta-O northern Kachin State.
He had promised supply of arms should the Rawang and Lisu tribes want to avenge their people against the KIO.
Gen Thein Sein, leader of junta-backed USDP.
“They (junta) cannot defeat dissenters in entire Burma so they are trying to create divisions among the ethnics and make them fight each other,” said KIO’s Foreign Affair’s vice in-charge James Lum Dau in Thailand.
Since 1962, in the wake of the military coup led by Gen Ne Win in Burma, the junta has been trying to divide the ethnic people and start clashes among them.
Burmese political analyst Bo Bo Kyaw Nyein said, Thein Sein’s ire was related to the refusal of the KIO to change its armed wing, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), to the regime proposed Border Guard Force (BGF).
“It is possible that because KIO rejected the BGF proposal, the junta will try to compromise the ethnic people through military action. If that does not work they will foment division among the ethnics,” said Bo Bo Kyaw Nyein.
Gen Thein Sein during the secret meeting with Rawang and Lisu tribal leaders was reviewing the clashes between local people and the KIO in 1970 in Puta-O district. Provoking them, the former PM asked “How many of your people have been killed by Jinghpaw (referring the KIO)?” If the tribes wanted revenge against the Jinghpaw (referring KIO) he offered to supply weapons to them.”
Among those who attended the secret meeting Tanggu Dang (Ahdang) who was there as a Rawang leader and also the leader of the Rawang militia group, the Rebellion Resistance Force (RRF) accepted Gen Thein Sein’s proposal.
“If Ahdang attacks KIO the enemy (junta) will clap its hands in glee because it would have achieved success without doing anything,” said an anonymous Kachin politician.
The Secretary of the Thailand based Ethnic National Council (ENC) Saw David Thaw said with Gen Thein Sein trying to devise strategy to foment trouble among ethnic people they should be careful and be united.
“There should be unity among all ethnic people, in Burma is what the international community also wants,” said David Thaw.
He said the former PM’s attempts prove the junta wants to divide the ethnic people.
