Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi said that loyalty, integrity and solemnity of ethnic Chin people encouraged the building of federal democratic union while the country was walking along this road.
The State Counsellor was speaking at the 72nd Chin National Day held in Htantlang town, Chin State on February 20 in her address delivered at the ceremony.
“Our government has been convening the 21st Century Panglong Conference to fulfill the aspirations of our forefathers for making their dream of building a federal union come true. We are walking along this road to complete their unfinished task of building a federal union. Loyalty, integrity and solemnity of Chin people encourage us in walking along this road of building a federal union,” she said.
State Counsellor also said that the brethren Chin people revolted against British colonialists since they occupied the country by holding whatever weapons they had with great valour and this was proven by the many heroic Chin revolutionaries in this struggle such as Bo Cung Bi and Bo Khai Kam.
“The major task of ethnic Chin people at home and abroad, living on the plain and in the hilly region, is handing over the good legacy of a democratic spirit and political broadmindedness to the new generation,” Aung San Suu Kyi said.
She added that Chin State has geographical disadvantages and it was one of the least developed regions in the country so that her government designated Chin State as the first priority for development and the government was working on building roads to have better connectivity within the State and with other regions.
As it was recalled, ethnic Chin leaders came to Panglong town in southern Shan State and attended the Solidarity Conference of proper Burma and hilly regions held on February 12, 1947 in this town and these leaders signed the Panglong Agreement as witnesses.
And then Myanmar gained independence from British colonial masters on January 4, 1948 and established the Union of Burma along with ethnic people and they lived together peacefully in this union.
But unfortunately civil war and armed conflicts broke out just three months after gaining independence and successive governments have been trying to restore peace in the country.
In this peace building movement, Chin National Front (CNF) which claimed to represent the entire ethnic Chin people signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) and also this organization has been attending the 21st Century Panglong Conference or Peace Conference along with other ethnic nationalities as they try to build a federal union.
Ethnic leaders said that they were trying to convene the next session of 21st Century Panglong Conference before the forthcoming water festival which will be celebrated in mid-April 2020.
State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi gives a congratulatory speech at the celebrations of 72nd Chin National Day, which was held in Thantlang Township, Chin State on February 20, 2020. Photo: Myanmar State Counsellor Office/Facebook
