'Violence begets violence'

No one can deny the fact that war is a consequence of politics gone wrong but when political intrigues escalate to war, it becomes an issue that cannot be resolved easily. By then, the warring sides forget politics and believe that the only way to resolve war is to fight back to win. The law of the jungle will prevail and violence become the order of the day.

There are news reports about a government army officer killed in action, allegedly by the KIO, in northern Myanmar. It appeared in news journals and social networking sites creating anxiety amongst the people. The news added fuel to the conflict between the two sides. It might jeopardize ongoing peace talks and force them to get into a violent war.

Both sides are blaming one another for the death of the army officer and disputing who should bear responsibility for the unfortunate incident. The people are terrified with the prospect of war looming over the cloudy monsoon sky of northern Myanmar.

Blame games are not uncommon in our country. It is not easy to draw accurate conclusion on who committed crimes and who is responsible for more than 60 years of armed conflict. There is an adage that 'the first victim of war is truth'. What we are experiencing today is an old adage becoming a breathing and living reality.

Not long ago, we set our foot on the long road to reforms. The first and foremost step, in the reform process is putting an end to armed conflict. But we must accept that war is the consequence of unresolved political conflicts and therefore, the only way to resolve it successfully is through political dialogues. It is time we realize that war will only prolong war.

As Robert F. Kennedy said, "Violence breeds violence." Six decades of civil war and violence has proved that war only intensifies war and violence, rather than resolve it.

Hence, we would like to appeal to the government as well as armed groups to refrain from taking up arms against one another and focus on resolving conflict through political dialogues and non-violence.

http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/violence-begets-violence/