It is unfortunate that due to some rumors and unconfirmed news, the Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing has decided to launch a large scale operation against the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA).
According to the interview given to VOA, Sai Nyunt Lwin, General Secretary of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), on 5 October, said: “The government publicized that it has to respond to the SSA ambush. As far as we know, according to the news, the two military commands with five military columns made a concerted, two pronged, operation. We analyze it and are concerned for the peace process. That's why five organizations attending the meeting have sent a petition to the President to help stop the offensive.”
A DVB report, on 6 October, that Hkun Htun Oo, within the capacity of Shan State Joint Action Committee (SSJAC) and Chairman of the United Nationalities Alliance (UNA), in response to the government's suspicion on UNFC dragging the peace process, said: “ The main point is that Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC) explaining on what points still could not be agreed with the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC); for example, the suspicion of Commander-in-Chief and wrong information he got, before he left for Japan. According to it the UNFC, UNA and NLD were determined and agreed to drag the signing of ceasefire agreement beyond 2015 and until 2016. They were asking whether this information is false or correct. Since the UNA, NLD and UNFC have never met, it is clear this is false information.”
The tragedy is that people have to die or get wounded, combatants as well as civilians, because of such poorly informed decision. Making hasty decision according to one's spontaneous mood has no place in the important process of political settlement. Again, if this is just an unwise action based on unconfirmed rumors, the USDP-military regime needs to rethink and reassess its decision-making pattern. But if the recent offensive in Shan State is just a continuation of maintaining its top-dog position politically and militarily, there is no need to go on with this sham peace talks. For its ultimate aim is just to reach a “negotiated surrender” and not projecting at achieving a “level playing field”, leading to the atmosphere of equality, democracy and rights of self-determination for all ethnic groups, big or small.
The contributor is ex-General Secretary of the dormant Shan Democratic Union (SDU) — Editor
