Chinland Guardian

Most commentators, especially those of Burman origin explain the ethnic conflict in Burma by condeming the colonial rulers as a scapegoats of Burma’s prolonged political deadlock. They said the internal hostilities and conflict of Burma was a legacy of Colonial rule. On the other hand, some Burman chauvinists said the secession rights for the Shan and Karreni peoples, which can be exercised after 10 years of living in the Union, clearly spelled out in the written Constitution of 1947 was a problem.

April 9. 2005: The S.H.A.N. news article on 29 March 2005 reported the resurrection of the Shan Independence cause and a rejection of federalism, especially the ‘tripartite dialogue’ advocated by my late brother Chao Tzang and myself.  This is an issue that Shan leaders have grappled with for decades.

(Delivered by Dr. Lian Sakhong at His Funeral Service on Saturday, 31 July 2004, at Burquitlam Chapel, Vancouver, Canada)

Uncle Eugene was my mentor; intellectual advisor, political leader, and intimate personal and family friend. In fact, he was like my father. When Harn called me and broke the news of his demise just a few hours after he passed away

May 9, 2004: Even if the military generals implement the process of constitution in their sponsored convention by compelling the participants to approve it, we are not going to accept the outcomes as the would-be-seen result is illegal.   Indeed, convening the national convention without finding means first to end the internal political crisis is disgraceful and unacceptable agenda that the military regime is embarking on. It is just a FAKE convention.

It is undeniable historical fact that, we, the people of Union of Burma, have had a very bitter experience during the Burmese General’s homegrown Burmese Way of Socialism that led Burma from riches to rags. And it seems that we are now heading for another General’s homegrown Burmese Way of Democracy.

1.  It is a great pleasure for all of us the Chin people that this Chin National Consensus Building Seminar is over successfully within April 7 to 10, 2004. We congratulate those who took part in it. We all have our aims and objects, which we all can not discover in each other until we practically and personally meet together face to face in such get together seminar. We have discovered practically in each other now that we have the same aim and objective for our state and people as it has been issued in the Victoria Agreement.

I once read an article written by some one on the Union of Burma as ‘Confusions, Burma as a nation,  ethnicity-based politics being so confused . So it gives me an idea to write about it also as I usually feel that  many people in the Union of Burma are confused about this as they are ignorant of the history of the Union of Burma or some though they know may  turn deaf ears to it.  Some believe that the Union of Burma should be under the Burmese/Burmans control as a unitary state as it is the most populated ethnic group in the Union. This is what the Burmese Generals have been about as it has been the doctrine of General Ne Win. They had house arrested him and let him die as an accused, but every method of his is being held high by the Burmese generals.

September 18, 2003 marks 15th anniversary of the second round of military coup in Burma. Fifteen years ago on this day, the military junta named State Law and Order Restoration Council SLORC come to power by killing thousands of innocent civilians who demand for restoration of democracy and human rights in Burma. When the SLORC took state power, they promised the whole world that they will allow forming political parties and held multiparty election and transfer power to the winning party. The junta repeatedly assured the world that they would go back to the barrack after transferring state power to the winning political party in the general election. As promised, political parties were formed, election was held but the junta fails, till this day, to transfer power to the winning party of 1990 general election in Burma.

Ever since the ENSCC Road Map for democratic transition in Burma was released, a number of reactions from both friends and foes alike are received, some are very positive but some are quite critical. Both are welcomed. Since the ENSCC has taken a big step for a big mission, it was realised from the very beginning that not every one would agree or

The “Hush Hush Talks” between the Junta and the pro democracy movement led by the Burmese Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been going on at a snail pace for more than a year and the UN special Envoy Razali Ismail will soon be on his 7th trip but so far nothing has been achieved. Likewise the International Labour Organization, the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights on Burma, the European Union’s Troika mission and several government missions have come and gone with no definite milestone to report. Now it has dawned on the international community that Burmese Junta is very reluctant on dialogue lest their hold on the power may be threatened and exposed their gregarious human rights violations.