Shan see long path to peace

At the same time, according to Yawd Serk, there have been more than 100 armed skirmishes between government forces and SSA rebels that have resulted in deaths on both sides since the 2011 agreement was signed. "The problem is the Myanmar military, they don't want to withdraw," said the ethnic Shan militia leader. "In fact, the army commanders are sending more troops into the contested areas," he said, adding that they must soon withdraw if the ceasefire is to endure. While Thein Sein's government is viewed widely as sincere in its desire to bring peace to the country's ethnic areas after decades of debilitating civil war, the military's war-first mentality remains a significant obstacle, he said.

Hollow ceasefires
Myanmar's ethnic minorities have been fighting for autonomy and self-determination since the country's independence from British colonial rule in 1948. Much of Myanmar's sensitive border areas have since been largely controlled by various armed ethnic rebel groups. While the previous military government negotiated more than 20 ceasefire agreements with some of these groups, conflict has endured in many areas. Thein Sein's government has acknowledged that continued civil war could stall or even overturn the tentative political and economic reforms begun in early 2011. The then railways minister, Aung Min, was given the task of taking the peace process forward. He has held scores of meetings with ethnic rebel leaders, bilaterally and with groups of ethnic leaders. These meetings have been held variously in Myanmar, Thailand and China.

Yawd Serk believes part of the problem is the military's economic interests in the areas where they are fighting. "They are not prepared to give up land. They are using the ceasefire talks as a form of technical warfare against the ethnic groups," he said. "The Tatmadaw is benefiting, but the ethnic people are not getting any benefit." Private efforts - some involving ethnic group representatives - to form new public companies that would compete for business licenses and concessions in different ethnic areas are taking place behind the scenes. These initiatives have begun in some areas where fighting has significantly reduced and are consistent with ethnic group leaders' views that economic development could alleviate some of the local grievances that have fueled the conflicts. For these initiatives to work, Yawd Serk says civilian and military authorities must share a common policy which is not currently evident. "The President's office issues licenses and the military doesn't allow them to be implemented," he said. "This has to change if there is to be genuine national reconciliation. Only then can there be progress towards a political settlement."

Federal aspirations
The government is now angling to hold a major conference in the capital Naypyidaw where all ethnic groups sign a fresh ceasefire agreement that would symbolically serve as the completion of the first stage of the peace talks and reaffirm groups' commitment to peace, said government sources close to the peace process. Thein Sein and his chief peace negotiator Aung Min had originally scheduled the meeting for July, but it was postponed because the government and ethnic groups could not agree on an agenda. Many ethnic leaders say they see no point in signing a new ceasefire agreement, while further squabbles centered on language. The government has insisted on a "total" ceasefire agreement while ethnic groups favor the use of a "national" ceasefire. Aung Min believes the meeting will be held in October, according to government sources.

http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/shan-see-long-path-to-peace/