Ethnic leader: Don't be deceived by the Burmese regime’s stratagem

Motsaing: Dec. 26, 2007

The division of Shan State into different autonomous regions is the outcome of divide-and- rule policy adopted by the successive military regimes in Burma, and ethnic groups should not fall into the trap of the deceitful plan of the junta, said a Pa-O leader recently.

The National Convention organized by the Burmese military regime had designated self administered regions to 5 different ethnic groups in Burma, such as Kokang , Pa-O, Palaung , Danu (who are located in Shan State) and the Naga in Sagaing Division, Northwest Burma.

“The question is why are these special territories given to mostly groups from Shan State? The Shan State is quite diverse with lots of different ethnic groups and dividing Shan State into different parts will be easy for the Burmese military regime to create tensions and problems among the ethnic groups”, said Hkun Okker , General Secretary of National Democratic Front (NDP) and Chairman of Pa-O People's Liberation Organization (PPLO), during the Youth and Federalism Workshop attended by over 20 ethnic youth from inside and outside Burma, organized by Nationalities Youth Forum from 12-21 December, in Thai-Burma border.

_{Hkun Okker}

He continued, “Those who get self administered areas should not be pleased as it is only a phony name, not real autonomous rights. Moreover, each of those areas will include 3 military authorities from the ruling junta. And that will create tensions between the groups who get autonomy and who do not. That is only a strategy of the military junta”.

“Not only in Shan State but also in the other states, the strategy of divide and rule of the Burmese military regime has been extremely successful. Lots of ethnic armed groups are split and sometimes even turn their gun points to each other”, said one of the Kachin youth.

"We need a common leadership that will take full responsibility for all ethnic groups and not only for individual groups to combat the regime that understands the weak points of ethnic groups and therefore knows how to keep themselves in power," said Hkun Okker.

“We must unite and trust each other. We, the ethnic groups are brothers and sisters and we must fight together in order to wipe out the military junta and build a genuine federalism”, said one of the Arakanese participants youth.

“Not only should we unite but we should also have the ability to win. Now we are still weak in every aspect, whether physical power or intelligence. We will have to be better than our enemy. Youth are future leaders and ethnic youth have both values: value of youth and the value of being ethnics. Therefore, ethnic youth must work doubly harder and must take more responsibility than other people in struggling for change in Burma,” Hkun Okker concluded at the end of the workshop.

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