Disagreement within the Karen rebel leadership over its recent signing of a truce with a Burmese government peace delegation has led to confusion. Nineteen members of the Karen National Union, led by its military chief Gen. Mutu Say Poe, signed on Jan. 12 a ceasefire agreement with Burmese government peace delegation in Karen capital, Pa-an, without the consensus of other top KNU officials. Brig-Gen Saw Johnny, the commander of Brigade 7 of the KNU's military wing, Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), was involved in the negotiations in Pa-an. He told The Irrawaddy that the KNU delegation signed an 11-point agreement, including an immediate ceasefire, with the Burmese government delegation. He said that the KNU delegation signed the agreement to end hostilities between the Burmese army and the KNLA. “How can we proceed with peace talks if we don’t stop fighting each other,” Johnny said. “Now the government officials are able to travel freely to our areas and visit us. They also ordered their troops not to attack our units. “But this is just the first step of many,” he added. “We don’t know for how many months or years we will have to continue this process of peace talks.” However, hardline KNU leaders are believed to be unhappy with the agreement, complaining that it is too early to trust the new government, and that the Burmese army have not withdrawn their battalions from Karen areas. They, however, agreed to hold further talk with the Burmese peace delegation perhaps in Naypyidaw in late February. Sources close to the KNU leadership say that the hardliners include Vice-president David Takapaw and General-secretary Zipporah Sein who insist the Burmese army withdraw all its troops from Karen State before calling a ceasefire. Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, Zipporah Sein denied that a ceasefire agreement was signed in Pa-an. However, she said that an “agreement to hold further ceasefire talks” was signed. The KNU's president, Tamla Baw, Vice-chairman David Takapaw, General-secretary Zipporah Sein, and Joint General-secretary 1 Saw Hla Ngwe are believed to be the main hardline faction that rejects the ceasefire. According to sources close to the KNU, the KNU representatives who attended the peace talks in Pa-an included Saw David Taw, Gen. Mutu Say Poe, Saw Ah Toe, Saw Roger Khin, and Brig-Gen Johnny. One source said that these were the “pragmatic faction” of the KNU, and that they wanted to “test the water.” However, other Karen sources said that this faction appears more interested in development and business opportunities in Karen State. Sources said some Karen communities are worried that the ceasefire will only benefit the government, politically and economically. Various sources from within the Karen community say they believe the KNU delegation signed an agreement which was conducive to their own interests but not to those of the KNU or of the Karen people. But the KNU peace delegation maintains that they are motivated by a series of political reforms in Burma, and that they take encouragement from the recognition of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the release of political prisoners, and the government's concessions on media and Burmese dissidents. Saw David Taw, a Pa-an signatory, on behalf of the peace delegation, noted that the KNU's previous ceasefire in 2004 had been a verbal agreement. He said he believed the Jan. 12 agreement was evidence of steps toward a “real peace.” His colleague, Brig-Gen Johnny, said that the Burmese government needed to prove their political commitment to the world. “I think the government is in a real political crisis,” he said. “It seems like they really need to enact reforms.” Since the Jan. 12 agreement, government troops have been given access by the KNU to receive supplies and rations in Karen State. In the past, Karen guerrillas had been largely successful in cutting government army supply lines. However, some grassroots organizations close to the KNU say they are worried the Burmese army will launch a series of severe attacks to wipe out KNLA bases once they stock up on rations, supplies and manpower. Brig-Gen Johnny maintained that it was very difficult to persuade the government to withdraw all its troops from the region, and said that the KNU and Naypyidaw were embarking on a journey of building bilateral trust. “We have been fighting each other for more than 60 years, so we cannot resolve all the issues in just one or two days,” he said. “We need more time to build trust. If the government break their word, the ceasefire can be broken at any time,” he added. Founded in 1947, the KNU formed its military wing, the KNLA, two years later and has been waging war for greater autonomy against the central government ever since, creating one of the longest running civil wars in the world. The Karen rebels reached a verbal ceasefire agreement with the government in 2004, but it later broken down. Despite major other ethnic militias including the Wa, Kachin, Shan and Mon reaching ceasefire agreements with the government in the 1990s, the KNU refused to compromise. Its widely publicized peace agreement signed on Jan. 12 shocked many observers and Karens alike; many media commentators described it as a “historic agreement,” and it was the day's breaking news around the world. |
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