Today, on the 49th anniversary of the Kachin Revolution Day, the day the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) was set up, the Kachin leadership said it was keen to relive the Panglong Agreement for a genuine multiethnic federal Union of Burma. This was reinforced in the anniversary day speech.Zawng Hra, chairman of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) pointed out in an impassioned four-page anniversary speech that political conflicts in Burma were embedded in the lack of governance in keeping with the Panglong Agreement --- the historic charter between ethnic minorities and the majority Burman, which had envisaged establishing a Federal Union of Burma.

The venerated Burman leader Gen Aung San and ethnic leaders--- Kachin, Chin and Shan signed the agreement in Panglong in Shan State on February 12, 1947 with the idea that the Burman majority and ethnic minority would live together in harmony in a multiethnic Federal Union.

Following the agreement, Burma received independence from British rule on January 4, 1948. However, the majority Burman grabbed power in the country. Since then it has been ruled by a unitary system against the spirit of the Panglong Agreement.

The KIO chairman’s speech pointed out that the first constitution in 1947 was not drafted in keeping with the Panglong Agreement and ethnic minorities are yet to derive benefits from it.

As such, it became impossible to solve the political impasse between Kachins and successive Burman-led governments through meaningful dialogue. The KIA was set up to fight for Kachin rights on February 5, 1961, the speech said.

In the period between 1961 and 1976, the KIO/KIA fought wars with successive Burman-led central governments for secession. However, in a come down, it changed its stance and demanded a genuine self-determined Kachin State since 1976.

In a further concession the KIA signed a ceasefire agreement with the Burmese military junta on February 24, 1994. It went ahead and supported the junta-formulated seven-step roadmap to the so-called disciplined democracy.

Between 2004 and 2007, the KIO took part in the junta’s National Convention for drafting the new constitution. It submitted two key proposals for a genuine federal union and the autonomy of Kachin State. However, it was rejected outright by the junta. The proposal for a genuine federal union was jointly submitted with 13 other ethnic ceasefire groups along with a 19-point proposal for autonomy of Kachin State.

The KIO chairman admitted that the ongoing dialogue with the regime on the contentious transformation issue failed because only the armed wing, the KIA, was being pressurized to change into the Burmese Army controlled Border Guard Force.

The KIO and Burmese military officials met over the thorny BGF issue in Myitkyina the capital of Kachin State on January 29 for the tenth time but the meeting ended sans result, said KIO officials.

The KIO leader said on the anniversary day speech that all people of Burma should strive together to build a genuine federal Union of Burma.