Kachin Perspective of Union Day and current Kachin ethnic situation in Kachin Land

Kachin Association of Australia (KAA) Date 12th February 2012

KAA does not represent the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) or Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) the political arm of KIA or United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC). However, KAA and the entire Kachins embrace the spirit of the Union Day, not just in name, but in the true spirit Panglong, which is the birth place of Panglong agreement and the Union of Burma. Since, today is Burmas Union Day, it is only appropriate to discuss what Union means for we Kachin, and where we are at today. The map of Burma as we know it today did not exist before 1948. The Union of Burma was born out of Panglong agreement. It was the historic meeting that took place at Panglong in the Shan States 65 years ago in 1947, the 23 national leaders of both the Burman majority including Bogyoke Aung San and ethnic nationalities so called The Hills people or Frontier people such as Shans, Kachins, Kayahs and Chins committed themselves for the first time, to achieve the countrys national sovereignty through the pure spirit of national unity, equality, autonomy and genuine federalism. Like many ethnic territories before the British occupation, Kachin had been living with their own traditional administrative system and under the rule of Chieftain or Du Wa. The Kachin land never was under the Burma monarchy. Even during the British period, the Kachin Hills were ruled under the special category of frontier areas. Had our Bogyoke Aung San NOT offered the frontier people a promise of separate status with full autonomy and rights of equality and succession to the ethnic people, the Union of Burma might never have been born, and the history of Burma would have developed differently if there was no Panglong Agreement. His remarkable quote said If Bama receives one kyat, you ethnic people will get one kyat. Due to Kachins deep trust in Bogyoke Aung San and assurance from him, despite the warning from the British saying Kachins need another 10 years to train for self-rule, our leaders along with the leaders from the other hills and the Shan states agreed to cooperate with the interim Burmese government, believing that the independence would be more speedily achieved from their common colonial ruler Britain by the immediate cooperation with the interim government. Being high landers, Kachins and ethnics are straight forward, sincere and honest which led them to be deceived politically by the future ruler. No doubt, Bogyoke played a pivotal role in bringing together leaders of the country's Frontier Areas to the negotiating table. Tragically, his life was cut short 5 months later in July 19, 1947. Because of the Panglong Agreement, Burma was born as an independent nation on January 4th, 1948 and February 12th has been declared as Union Day. It is clear that if it was not for the Panglong Agreement, there would NOT be a day such as we are having today.

Kachin Association of Australia. NSW Inc.

Today, we ethnic people are not enjoying equal rights as laid out in the Panglong Agreement. The successive governments of both civilian Chauvinists military dictators have repeatedly and continuously denied rights, autonomy and self-determination to all the KEY ETHNIC FOUNDERS of the country. Similar to other ethnic groups in Burma, the Kachin struggle is over five decades long. The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) was formed in 1961 in response shortly after Burmas first Prime Minister U Nu decreed the Buddhism as the state religion of Burma against the will of the Christian ethnic minorities such as Kachins and Karens, and the unfulfilled promises of autonomy of an independent Kachin State from the Panglong Agreement. In 1962 a military coup led by General Ne Win attempted to control over the Frontier Regions under the excuse of the various ethnic resistances rising from 1958 over the broken promises was the last straw. From 1961 until 1994, the KIA fought a grueling and inconclusive war against the Military Government. Originally, the KIA fought for the independence, but now the official Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) policy goal is for autonomy within a federal union of Burma, along with self-determination of rule and administration of Kachin land and the peace-loving people. In 1994 a Cease-Fire agreement between the KIA and the military Government was signed in the hope of political dialogues for Equality, Autonomy, Peace, Security, Democracy and Human rights for the people. The outcome of this cease-fire were thousand of acres of lands are confiscated, people are force-relocated, farmers have lost their livelihood, KIO officials were murdered, women were raped, a hundred of military bases were built, Christian landmarks were destroyed and replaced with Pagodas in Kachin land, building of Christian churches are restricted, religious are persecuted, tens or more dams are built for the construction of mega Hydro-power plants, lands and properties are destroyed for the construction of thousands of kilometre of gas-pipe lines which only benefit to the neighbouring China and self-serving a few in power. TODAY, our so-called democratic Thein Seins government is unable to stop the Military waging a full-scale assault on Kachin people under the excuse of war against the KIA. We have the largest humanitarian crisis in our lifetime occurring now in the Kachin state with a staggering number of over 60,000 internally displaced peoples since the initial fighting broke out in June 2011, while the government continued to woo the international communities with the illusion of reform and transition to democracy. Not only the military is deploying an overwhelming 48,000 soldiers, or 120 battalions in attempt to crush KIO and KIA, also committing systematic rape and torture as a weapon of war against innocent Kachin women and civilians. According to independent figures, up to 54 reported cases of women and girls have been gang raped and ethnic civilians were brutally murdered for no apparent reasons other than their ethnic origin. Over the past eight months of the secret war against the Kachin, the current Thein Sein government has only allowed UN humanitarian aid ONCE with a very limited amount of aid considering the large number of the IDPs. The fact that over 60,000 have fled to the KIO controlled areas speak volumes about what the ordinary citizens feel about their own government and who they trust their safety. Lets not forget that these atrocities are occurring during this so called democratic governments tenure.

Kachin Association of Australia. NSW Inc.

Looking back at the history, the main purpose of uniting to form a country to gain the independence from Britain, multi ethnic groups in Burma today are subjected to INTERNAL COLONIZATION to this day. The Armed Forces that was once founded by Bogyoke Aung San had turned into the military dictatorship. Today, not only various ethnics are persecuted, also even the honourable Buddhist monks are not spared, they were shot, they were beaten to death as we had witnessed in the Saffron Revolution. The history has proved that successive governments of both military dictators and civilians in the past were incapable of running the country and NOT appreciating the diversity of people and culture. As long as the CURRENT and FUTURE governments of Burma continue to use Divide and Rule tactic racially religiously politically, restrict on religious freedom, disrespect the founding spirit and existence of ethnic peoples, then expect resistance from them. We would say Respect the existence or expect resistance. On the occasion of Union Day, reflecting on history and looking to the future, we Kachin together with the ethnic nationalities and the rest of peace loving main stream Bhama would strongly like to call to an immediate stop to ALL military offensives in ethnic areas, end the culture of violence and culture of impunity against ethnic populations, initiate National reconciliation and genuine political reform towards democracy, honour the Panglong agreement and bring justice to the long-suffering citizens of Burma to create a GENUINE UNION embracing and respecting the diversity and rights of equality of all people. For too long, federalism the desire of the ethnic nationalities has been misunderstood and misrepresented as an idea that would lead to the fragmentation of the country. Yet the opposite is the case federalism is a structure that strengthens a country. Unity in diversity should be the principle for Burma. A national convention, in which the current government, the democracy movement and the ethnic nationalities participate, should be held to establish Burma as a genuine federal democracy. It is not easy but it can be achieved. Not if, but when this is done, Burma has a chance of a genuine and lasting peace and an end to more than 60 years of civil war. Lastly, bearing in mind that a true DEMOCRACY and genuine FEDERAL UNION is the goal for Burma to achieve, the full and equal INCLUSION of all ethnic nationalities is the key to a peaceful and better future for Burma.

Kachin Association of Australia. NSW Inc.