No Excuse for Violence: Obama Tells Burma

[Hammer-fist]

Foreignpolicy.com has an article saying that some in China want to use the rebel groups against the Burmese regime and have influence in a post-junta Burma and that others in the Chinese establishment are opposed to this.

The point is even China may support the rebel groups against the Naypyidaw regime.

Liang Jinyun, a professor of political science at Yunnan Police College in southwest China, argued in an influential 2011 paper that these ethnic groups, if "used" well, "will become China's most loyal friend in the frontline of confrontation between the United States and China in Myanmar."

China has long maintained close ties with the Wa and Kachin, ethnic minorities who live in the north and have struggled for autonomy against the government since Myanmar became a country in 1948. The relationship peaked during the 1960s, when China supported the Burmese Communist Party (which consisted primarily of Wa and Kachin, as well as Chinese nationals) in their (partially successful) struggle against the central government. The material and human assistance from Beijing ceased in the early 1990s, though local governments in China's Yunnan province have maintained cross-border ties on issues ranging from business cooperation to drug-related crop substitution programs. Naypyidaw reached a peace agreement with the Wa in September 2011, but the Kachin and the Myanmar military remain at war. On Jan. 2, Myanmar admitted that it had been using aircraft to attack the Kachin, which still boasts an army of about 15,000.

then...

Meanwhile, they argue that China should also support the border ethnic groups in their struggle against Naypyidaw by pressuring the Burmese military to relax its attacks and keeping the border open to allow the movement of timber, jade, and other natural resources. (The smuggling of drugs is an unwanted, but unavoidable byproduct of the porous border.) According to these analysts, assisting the minority groups will restore China's leverage over Naypyidaw and push Myanmar to respect China's national interests. After all, in their view, since Myanmar is throwing itself into the arms of the West, China has nothing to lose and everything to gain.

and...

For their part, the ethnic groups welcome China's participation. According to a source in the Kachin Independence Army, the untrustworthy, "chauvinistic" Burmese will repudiate any agreement unless it is backed by a global power. With the United States more focused on helping Naypyidaw than siding with the restive ethnic groups, the Kachin and the Wa have hoped China would be their strongest ally. After dispatching several delegations to Washington over the past few years, the Kachin groups have said that they are disappointed with the lack of interest from the United States. And according to several local Chinese officials, the Wa have given up any hope of altering Washington's perception of them as "drug lords" and "arms dealers." Understanding Beijing's fear about a Myanmar distancing itself from China, the Kachin and the Wa argue that China should support their struggle for a political settlement and autonomy.

If the USA, China and Thailand all decided to pull the plug on a Bamar empire-state of "Burma" then "Burma" would cease to exist.

The US and China should both talk behind back doors on a win-win situation for both parties.

 

[Hammer-fist]

Burma Conflict Tests China’s Policy of Non-Interference

A minority Kachin holds up an image showing Kachin refugees in northern Burma during a protest in front of Burmese Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, January 11, 2013.



William Ide
January 16, 2013

BEIJING — Fighting in the north of Burma between the military and the Kachin Independence Army is becoming increasingly intense and deadly.

The ongoing violence is not only a major challenge for the administration of Burmese President Thein Sein, but a growing concern for Beijing, as the conflict unfolds on doorstep of the China's southern Yunnan province.

Kachin rebels say over the past few days, Burmese government launched mortar attacks on the town of Laiza, which is located near the Chinese border. According to reports, the attacks killed at least three civilians and injured several others.

Late last week, Kachin living on both sides of the border, some in the Chinese town of Nabang and others in Laiza, rallied at a border checkpoint to protest the ongoing strife. Pictures that were posted online, showed protesters on the Burmese side holding up placards and Kachin in China standing, some with their arms folded, in silent protest.

The Kachin rebels and Burma’s government had managed to maintain a cease-fire until about 18 months ago, when fighting resumed. In recent weeks, Burmese troops have stepped up its intensity in the north of the country, using air power and artillery, turning Laiza into a war zone.

Ian Storey, a security analyst at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, says China is clearly concerned about the conflict because it is taking place so close to its border.

"China does not want to see conflict and instability along its border for several reasons," he said. "One is that conflicts tend to [cause] an outpouring of refugees into Yunnan province. We have seen this with other conflicts in Burma. And also because there are a large number of PRC [Chinese] nationals who live on the other side of the border in Myanmar that are conducting business."

China has long prided itself on what it calls its non-interference approach to diplomacy. Some Chinese analysts say that, although the policy is generally good, it could end up hurting China in the case of what is going on in Burma.

Du Jifeng, a Southeast Asia policy analyst at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, says that if China does not take a more active role the conflict might get worse.

Du says that, in addition to setting up a place for the two sides to meet, China could try to actively seek a compromise that both parties can agree on and will respect. He adds that China could also use less restraint when the Burmese government infringes on its airspace and territorial rights.

China has offered to host talks between the two sides in the nearby Chinese town of Ruili to try to broker a peace agreement. But as the conflict worsens, the likelihood of that happening remains unclear.

Ian Storey says China’s ability to broker a deal has its limits.

"I understand that in the past Chinese officials have participated as mediators. But at the end of the day it is really down to the Myanmar government and the Kachin Independence Organization to reach a resolution. China can try to facilitate that settlement, but it can't impose it on either of the parties," said Storey.

China has long been a key ally of Burma. But in recent years, the Burmese government has gradually begun to diversify its international portfolio and open links with Japan, the United States and the European Union.

Du says as Burma makes adjustments to its foreign policy and approach, China should do the same.

Du says that, although China has put great importance on working with Burma’s central government in the past, in the future it should interact more with city governments, other sectors and even those anti-government groups.

Analysts say that strengthening ties with minority groups, particularly at the local government level, could not only help the sides resolve the dispute, but ensure the conflict does not spread across the border as well.

Burma Conflict Tests China

 

[Hammer-fist]

Kachin Minority Want China's Action in Conflict with Burma


The Kachin ethnic minority in Burma has been battling with the Burmese army since June of 2011. Fight for control over hydro-projects in the Kachin State reignited armed conflict that ceased in 1994.

On Monday (January 14), a Burmese army airstrike in the town of Laiza reportedly killed three Kachin civilians, and injured several others.

Since the renewed conflict between the Burmese army and the Kachin Independence Army, Kachin supporters in three major US cities have been holding rallies in front of Chinese embassies.

They are calling on China to intervene. The hydro-projects are backed by Chinese companies, and the conflict is breaking out near the Burmese and Chinese border.

In August last year, Chinese authorities sent back thousands of Kachin refugees who had crossed the border into China. Chinese authorities said they weren’t refugees.

[N Sang Gum San, Kachin Alliance Spokesperson]:
“Our demands were very simple. We wanted the government of China to be involved in this process, this political, creation of political dialog between the government of Burma and Kachin Independence Organization. After all, China has become the stakeholder of Burma, when we say stakeholder, it would be an economic stakeholder.”

During a press conference on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Hong Lei, urged the two sides to resolve the dispute through negotiations. He added that the situation on the border is stable and that China will continue to protect its citizens from crossfire.

Last week when Kachin people on both sides of the border protested, Chinese security kept Burmese Kachin from crossing over.

After 17 years of ceasefire between the Kachin ethnic minority and the Burmese authorities, tensions flared over development projects by Chinese-owned companies. Dam projects on the Taping and Irrawaddy rivers were the cause of much of the tension. They were built in Kachin territory, primarily to provide energy to China. The Burmese military tried to control the lucrative projects, which displaced thousands of Kachins.

[N Sang Gum San, Kachin Alliance Spokesperson]:
“It could even be one of the main reasons for this renewed ethnic conflict based upon the Chinese megaproject, infrastructure project in Burma, especially in Kachin State.”

The Kachin people have long accused the Burmese authorities of human rights violations. Since 2011 Kachin rights groups say 100,000 Kachins have been internally displaced by the conflict.

Kachin Minority Want China's Action in Conflict with Burma --NTDTV.org






China rebukes Myanmar, urges ceasefire after shell crosses border



BEIJING | Thu Jan 17, 2013 10:54am GMT

(Reuters) - China rebuked Myanmar on Thursday and called for an immediate ceasefire between Myanmar government forces and ethnic minority rebels after an artillery shell flew over the border and landed inside China for the second time since late December.

Myanmar's military has stepped up shelling and air attacks on rebels in its northern Kachin state, raising doubts over assurances by its quasi-civilian government that it wants a peace deal to end the fighting that has made its way to China's doorstep.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hong Lei, said the shell landed 500 metres inside China on Tuesday, close to where Myanmar's military is locked in an 18-month conflict with Kachin Independence Army (KIA) guerrillas.

"China made immediate emergency representations to Myanmar, expressed strong concern and dissatisfaction with the situation, and demanded that Myanmar earnestly investigate and adopt a series of measures to prevent further similar occurrences," Hong told reporters at a regular press briefing.

Hong said no one was injured in the shelling but his comments marked an escalation of China's criticism of Myanmar's government, which is led by former generals who have been praised for reforms after 50 years of strict military rule.

"China calls on both sides involved in the conflict in Myanmar to ... immediately implement a ceasefire ... and jointly protect the peace and stability of the China-Myanmar border area," Hong said.

He did not say which side China thought fired the shell but Myanmar government forces have been using artillery to attack rebels positions on the Myanmar side of the border.

The Foreign Ministry denounced a similar spill-over of the conflict on December 30.

China's state media said last week the government had sent soldiers to the border amid concern that the escalating violence could send refugees spilling over into Chinese territory.

Thousands of Kachin villagers fled into China during earlier phases of the fighting which erupted in 2010 after a 16-year-old truce collapsed.

Kachin rebels, who are fighting for greater autonomy, have come under sustained attack from government forces since late December.

While China has strong business and trade ties with Myanmar, it has long looked with wariness at its poor and unstable southern neighbour and has repeatedly called on it to ensure stability on their log, remote border.

(Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Robert Birsel)

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/01/17/uk-china-myanmar-idUKBRE90G0FN20130117

 

[Hammer-fist]

Myanmar announces end to strikes on Kachin rebels - FRANCE 24


MEANWHILE......


Myanmar's Kachin Rebels Say Fighting Continues




By AYE AYE WIN Associated Press
YANGON, Myanmar January 18, 2013 (AP)

Ethnic Kachin rebels in Myanmar said clashes in the country's north continued Saturday despite a government promise to cease fire, casting doubt over hopes that the bloody conflict there could end soon.

Myanmar's military had declared Friday it would stop attacks against rebels around the town of Lajayang, near Myanmar's northeastern border with China, starting Saturday morning because it had achieved its goal of securing an army outpost there that had been surrounded by insurgents.

An official with the Kachin Independence Army confirmed Lajayang was quiet, but he said fighting was taking place in at least three other rebel positions in the region on Saturday. The official declined to be identified because he is not a spokesman for the rebel group.

The two sides have been fighting for 1 1/2 years, but the latest combat has represented a major escalation because the government began using fighter planes and helicopter gunships in its attacks starting on Christmas Day. Many of the skirmishes have centered on Lajayang, which is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Laiza, a town that also serves as a political headquarters for the guerrillas.

The upsurge in violence has drawn calls from the international community for the two sides to put down their arms and negotiate, but there was no public indication of any direct talks taking place.


Speaking at a development forum in the capital, Naypyitaw, President Thein Sein invited the Kachin rebels to an upcoming peace conference with 10 other armed ethnic groups, although no date has been set for the talks.

"I just want to stress that we continue to try to achieve genuine peace in the country," Thein Sein said, adding that he had ordered the army and other government agencies to seek peaceful solution.

But the Kachin rebels, he said, "will need to reciprocate in a similar way."

There was no immediate word on whether the Kachin would take up the president's offer.

Tension with ethnic minorities fighting for greater autonomy in Myanmar is considered one of the biggest major long-term challenges for reformist Thein Sein, who inherited power in 2011 from the army, which ruled for almost half a century.

The Kachin, like Myanmar's other ethnic minorities, have long sought greater autonomy from the central government. They are the only major ethnic rebel group that has not reached a truce with Thein Sein's administration.

A cease-fire that held for nearly two decades broke down in June 2011 after the Kachin refused to abandon a strategic base near a hydropower plant that is a joint venture with a Chinese company. The conflict has forced about 100,000 Kachin from their homes since then, and many are in camps near Laiza, where they have been digging bomb shelters and bunkers out of fear of air and artillery attacks.

The recent fighting flared after the Kachin rejected a government demand that they stop attacking convoys delivering supplies to the army base at Lajayang. The guerrillas contended that the convoys carried ammunition that could be used to attack their own nearby headquarters. The government then launched its offensive to clear the road to its base.

On Saturday, the Kachin rebel official said the latest fighting was taking place at Hka Pot and Hka Ya Bhum, both rebel-held hilltop posts located to the north and west of Laiza, respectively. He said fighting was also taking place in Hphakant, more than 160 kilometers (100 miles) further away.

He said the army had launched new assaults in each of the locations, but it was impossible to verify the claims.

Ye Htut, a presidential spokesman, denied the army was carrying out any new strikes, saying "we have completely stopped all offensives."

But he said the military would retaliate if attacked and said the army has "reiterated its commitment to the president's instruction to stop offensives except for self-defense."

Ye Htut did not directly confirm whether there was fighting Saturday, but he accused rebels of attacking a police station in Hphakant before dawn, killing two police.

He also said about 20 civilians were injured when a convoy of three passenger buses struck what he said was a rebel landmine on a highway at Bamaw, several dozen kilometers (miles) west of Laiza.


Min Htay, a member of the All Burma Students Democratic Front, a dissident group that is fighting alongside some KIA units, also said the army was shelling a rebel outpost at Kka Ya Bhum with artillery on Saturday. Myanmar is also called Burma.

"The government announced last night that they will stop offensives," Min Htay said, "But in practice, troops continue their barrage."

Min Htay said hundreds of government ground forces overran three rebel hill posts around Lajayang in fierce battles on Friday, forcing outnumbered guerrillas to retreat.

Friday's announcement that the army was ceasing offensives said that since December, 35 soldiers were killed and 190 wounded in Kachin state. The total number of Kachin casualties is not known, though the group's supporters said it included civilians.

The government also said that since the war reignited in 2011, there have been 1,095 skirmishes with the guerrillas, who it also blamed for blasting 133 roads and bridges with explosives and laying land mines that wounded civilians at least 30 times.

Myanmar's Kachin Rebels Say Fighting Continues - ABC News

 

[Hammer-fist]

Burma attack breaks Kachin truce near China border

The BBC's Jonathan Head says government forces seem determined to take the hill overlooking Laiza

The Burmese army has launched a fresh attack on rebel Kachin forces in the north of the country, breaking a short-lived government ceasefire.

Burmese troops attacked a Kachin base just a few kilometres from Laiza, the capital of Kachin state, near the Chinese border.

Hundreds of Burmese troops could be seen crawling through the trees up the slopes, says the BBC's Jonathan Head.

Kachin fighters are fighting for greater autonomy in Burma.

The base was hit by sustained mortar and artillery fire, our correspondent, who is in the area, says.

If the base falls, there are few defences left to prevent the fall of Laiza, should the Burmese military decide to take it, he adds, and a Burmese military advance would certainly force the flight of many thousands of civilians.

Greater autonomy
The government announced a ceasefire on Friday, but the Kachin Independence Army claimed that attacks continued regardless.

The Kachin Independence Army is the only major ethnic rebel group not to have agreed a long-standing ceasefire with the government.


The rebels are seeking greater autonomy within Burma for ethnic Kachins who have had de facto control over a part of northern Burma for more than 50 years.

Burma's new military-backed civilian government has pledged to resolve conflicts in border areas with ethnic minority groups.

But the Burmese army began a new offensive last month, after a 17-year truce with the rebels ended in mid-2011.

The latest fighting flared after the Kachin rebels refused to stop attacking Burmese army convoys delivering supplies to a base near Laiza.

On Sunday the Burmese president Thein Sein repeated his call for dialogue with rebels to resolve the long-running conflict.

BBC News - Burma attack breaks Kachin truce near China border

 

[eastwatch]

I guess, the Burmese military Junta wants to fortify its position and deliver logistics to the Kachin north in the guise of an unilateral ceasefire. When this is done, the military will re-start pounding the rebel positions.

 

[TopCat]

Kachin literally an independent state as Kachin rebel hold control of the state capital for decades.

 

[eastwatch]

A State of a country is not independent unless it is recognized by other countries. Kachin is under Burmese sovereignty.

 

[Awesome]

But Obama has plenty excuses for violence on Pakistan.

 

[KRAIT]

But Obama has plenty excuses for violence on Pakistan.

Well at least he is against persecution of Muslims in Burma unlike Gulf states who call themselves flag bearer of Islam.

Isn't it weird, US opposing Myanmar govt. which is distancing itself from China and asking for protection of Muslims, even when they are called Enemies of Islam.

The question is not what Obama said, but why Islamic nations except Turkey are silent and not helping Rohingya Muslims.

 

[Awesome]

Well at least he is against persecution of Muslims in Burma unlike Gulf states who call themselves flag bearer of Islam.

Isn't it weird, US opposing Myanmar govt. which is distancing itself from China and asking for protection of Muslims, even when they are called Enemies of Islam.

The question is not what Obama said, but why Islamic nations except Turkey are silent and not helping Rohingya Muslims.

Krait, words are cheap.

In Pakistan his allies are Zardari - What sort of a person Obama can be?

 

[KRAIT]

Krait, words are cheap.
In Pakistan his allies are Zardari - What sort of a person Obama can be?

Sir, Obama may act on it to get support of Muslim countries especially after the image created after Iraq and Afghanistan war.

Obama is President of US, ally of Pakistani govt., first Musharraf, now Zardari.

Obama was the one who said drone attacks should be preferred than commando raids as it relatively causes less collateral damage.

As for words, Obama is leader of super power nation, it may work and he may act. Problem is if he do so, Myanmar may get back to China camp which US don't want.

My question is why the silence of rest of the world on this issue. if something happens to Muslims in India, Palestine, etc. entire world creates noise. Why this silence ?

I even blame GOI for not taking any step to apply diplomatic pressure or at least ask for non-violent means and ask for finding peaceful solution. We have stakes as India shares border with Myanmar.

 

[alaungphaya]

Kachin literally an independent state as Kachin rebel hold control of the state capital for decades.

What are you talking about? The state capital Myitkyina has always been under government control along with the majority of major towns.

 

[asad71]

Obama's double talk. Without his clearance the Swedes wouldn't have sold AGMs to India for use by Burmese forces. The Americans are despatate to bog down the Chinese in a proxy war. And this is the latest attempt. An Indo-BD op against the Kachins, who will inevitably seek assistance from their traditional Chinese friends.

 

[eastwatch]

What are you talking about? The state capital Myitkyina has always been under government control along with the majority of major towns.

Well, it very much means that except the Kachin Capital Mytkyina and a few small townships, the Bamars have no control over the Kachin lands. When Kachin is gone, gone will also be other states near Thailand and Bangladesh.