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BURMA RELATED NEWS - FEBRUARY 01, 2008
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HEADLINES
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AP - Top US diplomat in Myanmar wants international pressure on junta
for reforms
Reuters - Myanmar junta takes aim at latest Rambo movie
AFP - Laura Bush pushes Security Council on Myanmar
AFP - UN envoy ends visit to India on Myanmar
AFP - Myanmar detains over 1,800 political prisoners: watchdog
The Indian Express - 'India not soft on Myanmar'
Xinhua - Vietnam plays active role in UNSC meetings
The Morung Express - Persisting dias****a concerns in Myanmar
New York Times - Bush's Empty Words on Two Troubled Nations
Mizzima News - Burmese blogger Nay Phone Latt, mysteriously missing
DVB News - KNU celebrates Karen revolution day
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Top US diplomat in Myanmar wants international pressure on junta for
reforms
By GRANT PECK,Associated Press Writer
AP - Saturday, February 2
BANGKOK, Thailand - Fresh international pressure is necessary to push
Myanmar's military rulers toward reform because the momentum for
change after last year's demonstrations has been lost, the top U.S.
diplomat in the country said Friday.
The appeal by Shari Villarosa, charge d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy
in Yangon, followed signs that the ruling junta was again stepping up
repression of dissidents.
It also came after Myanmar's detained pro-democracy leader Aung San
Suu Kyi said Wednesday she was dissatisfied with the progress of her
reconciliation talks with the junta, and cautioned the public to "hope
for the best and prepare for the worst."
Myanmar's crisis attracted world attention when Buddhist monks last
September began leading anti-government protests, the biggest in two
decades. At least 30 people are believed to have been killed when the
government suppressed the demonstrations, and thousands detained,
though most have since been released.
Under pressure from U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari, the junta
appointed a "Minister for Relations" to talk with Suu Kyi, but their
few meetings have borne no results, and junta leader Senior Gen. Than
Shwe has made no further moves toward reconciliation.
"I think everybody hoped that there was genuine will on the part of
Than Shwe and his senior generals to begin a real dialogue, and what
is increasingly evident is that they have no intention whatsoever in
engaging in a genuine dialogue," Villarosa said in a telephone
interview with The Associated Press in Bangkok.
Earlier this week, lawyers working with the pro-democracy movement
said that about two dozen members of the 88 Generation Students group,
whose small protests against a fuel price hike mushroomed into last
September's massive demonstrations, would face trial. They are charged
with making illegal statements and could face up to seven years in
prison if convicted.
Last week, human rights group Amnesty International said the ruling
military had continued to arrest political activists, despite its
promise to the United Nations that it would halt arrests following
September's demonstrations.
Amnesty International said 1,850 political prisoners were behind bars,
including 96 imprisoned since early November when the government told
the world body it had stopped all arrests.
Villarosa said it was crucial for Myanmar's fellow members of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, along with its giant neighbors
China and India, to push the junta to open up to dialogue and
reconciliation with its opponents. The U.N. also needs to be involved,
she said.
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Myanmar junta takes aim at latest Rambo movie
Fri Feb 1, 6:28 AM ET
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Police in Myanmar have given DVD hawkers strict
orders not to stock the new Rambo movie, which features the Vietnam
War veteran taking on the former Burma's ruling military junta, a
Yangon resident told Reuters on Friday.
Despite the prohibition, pirated copies of the movie are widely
available on the streets of the former capital, where it is fast
becoming a talking point among a population eager to shake off 45
years of military rule.
"People are going crazy with the quote 'Live for nothing, die for
something'," one resident said, referring to the tagline of the fourth
Rambo installment, which opened in the United States this week.
Even though it received lukewarm reviews, it is likely to be a sure-
fire hit with opponents of the junta, with some even hoping it could
spur a change of regime in the impoverished southeast Asian nation.
"This movie could fuel the sentiment of Myanmar people to invite
American troops to help save them from the junta," one Yangon resident
told Reuters by e-mail.
In the movie, John Rambo, played by Hollywood superstar Sylvester
Stallone, comes out of retirement in Bangkok to save a group of
Christian missionaries taken captive by troops in the jungles of
eastern Myanmar.
As with previous Rambo films, it is short on plot and long on blood
and guts -- although viewers appear to think it is all relative.
"Rambo acted very cruelly, but his cruelty is nothing compared to that
of the military junta," a Myanmar student in Thailand, who did not
wish to be named, told Reuters.
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Laura Bush pushes Security Council on Myanmar
Friday Feb 01, 11:49 AM ET
KANSAS CITY, Missouri (AFP) - US First Lady Laura Bush has pressed
Panama, which holds the UN Security Council's rotating presidency, to
help keep pressure on Myanmar's junta, the White House said Friday.
Bush, in New York for a heart disease awareness event on Thursday, met
with Panamanian President Martin Torrijos, who was receptive to her
message, spokesman Tony Fratto told re****ters.
"Mrs Bush took the op****tunity to remind and reinforce the im****tance
for the UN Security Council to keep pressure on the military junta in
Burma," said Fratto.
"President Torrijos said that he would of course want to keep the
pressure on Burma to make the democratic changes that we all have been
calling for," the spokesman said.
In mid-January, the UN Security Council bemoaned the slow progress in
initiating democratic reforms in Myanmar, where the junta in September
crushed the biggest pro-democracy protests in nearly 20 years.
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UN envoy ends visit to India on Myanmar
Thu Jan 31, 10:56 PM ET
NEW DELHI (AFP) - India said it was "worried" Myanmar was not moving
fast enough on democratic reforms, although New Delhi remained opposed
to imposing sanctions on the regime to speed up the process.
A senior foreign ministry official made the comment as United Nations
envoy on Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari ended a three-day visit to New Delhi
for talks with Indian leaders on its military-run neighbour.
"What worries us is that (Myanmar's) transition to democracy ... has
not made rapid progress ... has not moved as fast as we would want,"
said the official who did not wish to be identified.
The official said New Delhi would continue to "encourage" Myanmar to
hold talks with pro-democracy groups "because we need a peaceful"
neighbourhood.
Gambari met with top Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari, Foreign
Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Foreign Secretary ****vshankar Menon
during his visit.
Indian leaders have come in for heavy criticism over their muted
reaction to the junta's violent crackdown on anti-government protests
led by Buddhist monks last year.
But Gambari said during a visit here in October that he was
"encouraged" by Indian pledges to sup****t efforts to resolve the
Myanmar crisis.
India's prime minister also emphasised the also met with his Myanmar
counterpart
India has cultivated close ties with Myanmar's military rulers in
recent years, citing its huge energy requirements as well as its need
to jointly battle separatist rebels who are active along the two
countries' jungle border.
The country is also competing for influence with its main Asian rival,
China.
The official said Thursday New Delhi sup****ted UN efforts for a return
to democracy in Myanmar but opposed sanctions as "regimes like that
know how to ride sanctions." "Many years of sanctions have not
worked... we need to work together" to bring in democracy, he added.
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Myanmar detains over 1,800 political prisoners: watchdog
Thu Jan 31, 10:39 PM ET
BANGKOK (AFP) - Military-run Myanmar has detained 1,864 political
prisoners, including 706 dissidents arrested during the junta's bloody
crackdown on protests last year, an exiled opposition group said
Friday.
The re****t by the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political
Prisoners (Burma) also said that prisoners are being tortured and
denied adequate drinking water and food.
"While in detention, many detainees were denied access to proper
medical care," said the group of former political prisoners who
maintain contact with prisons around the country.
The re****t mirrored findings by Amnesty International, which last week
said the regime holds at least 1,850 political prisoners, including
about 700 arrested during the junta's deadly suppression of anti-
government protests in September.
The re****t was released just one day after Aung San Suu Kyi's National
League for Democracy (NLD) issued a sharply worded statement accusing
prison guards of abusing detainees and denying them medical care.
Mass protests led by Buddhist monks in September were the biggest
challenge to the junta in nearly two decades, but the regime violently
quashed the movement, killing at least 31 people and leaving 74
missing, according to the United Nations.
On Thursday, Human Rights Watch said about 100 people were killed
during the September crackdown, far higher than the 15 dead re****ted
by the junta.
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The Indian Express
'India not soft on Myanmar'
Fri, Feb 1 03:26 AM
Ibrahim Gambari, a Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-
General, has said that India was not going soft on Myanmar and was
"fully engaged" with the UN in a "common objective."
After meeting Union External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on
Thursday, he said the "right messages" were being conveyed to the
neighbouring country and the world was looking to Myanmar becoming a
democracy at the earliest. "There's a lot of conversation between
India and the government of Myanmar. We think the right messages are
being conveyed on behalf of the UN Secretary-General. There's a
feeling that India is now fully engaged with the UN and working
together to bring about the common objective," he said after the half-
hour meeting with Mukherjee.
He said the UN was not happy with Myanmar's pace of reforms in the
direction of democracy but was certain India would use its influence
with the country for positive results. Gambari arrived here on a two-
day visit on Wednesday and has met Mukherjee and Foreign Secretary
****v Shankar Menon and Vice-President Hamid Ansari.
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Vietnam plays active role in UNSC meetings
www.chinaview.cn 2008-02-01 13:45:07
HANOI, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam actively made speeches at 27
meetings of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in January,
expressing its views on global and regional issues, including those
relating to Myanmar, Kosovo, the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea, Palestine and Nepal, local newspaper Pioneer re****ted Friday.
Through the meetings, Vietnam affirmed its stance of facilitating
dialogues, peacefully dealing with conflicts, and highlighting the
UN's contribution to the process, and stressed the significance of
economic development and stable life of people to sustainable peace in
some countries, the newspaper quoted the Vietnamese Ministry of
Foreign Affairs as saying.
Regarding situations in Myanmar, Vietnam's viewpoint is that Myanmar
is not a threat to regional and international peace and security.
Vietnam sup****ts the role of constructive cooperation between the UN
and Myanmar on basic principles of the UN Charter, and peaceful
dialogue to solve issues. However, Myanmar people should make the
final decision.
Concerning Kosovo issues, Vietnam has voiced its sup****t to dialogues
among related parties to reach agreements which take legitimate
interests of relevant peoples into consideration on the basis of
respecting basic principles of the international law, especially the
principles of independence, sovereignty, and national territorial
integrity.
Vietnam is the UNSC's non-permanent member in the 2008-2009 term.
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The Morung Express
Persisting dias****a concerns in Myanmar
31 January, 2008 07:32:00
V. Suryanarayan
The Indian community in Myanmar should get a better deal. Some
thoughts on the occasion of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. On March 18,
1946, addressing a predominantly Indian gathering in Singa****e,
Jawaharlal Nehru said: "India cannot forget her sons and daughters
overseas. Although India cannot defend her children overseas today,
the time is soon coming when her arm will be long enough to protect
them."
This declaration held forth the promise of an enlightened policy
approach towards Indians overseas once India became independent. The
words of cheer and hope were a natural culmination of the Indian
national movement under the leader****p of Mahatma Gandhi, who had
started his political career defending the rights of indentured Indian
labourers in South Africa. The cause of Indians overseas was also dear
to other great leaders, such as Gopal Krishna Gokhale, V.S. Srinivasa
Shastri, C.F. Andrews, Jawaharlal Nehru, H.N. Kunzru, Acharya
Kripalani and Ram Manohar Lohia. They repeatedly stressed the need to
safeguard the interests of the unfortunate people, who had to leave
the shores of India to cater to the economic interests of imperialist
Britain.
But the hope that independent India would pursue an enlightened policy
towards Indians overseas was not fulfilled. The Government of India's
perception and policy towards them underwent many twists and turns.
The deep concern for migrant workers that was felt during the
nationalist phase gave way to a disavowal of any responsibility for
those who were viewed as the subjects of a separate country. Later,
the migration of skilled personnel from India was characterised as
part of a "brain drain." Once the economic liberalisation process
began, New Delhi's policy turned full circle. Indians overseas were
characterised as unofficial ambassadors of India who could contribute
to the country's economic transformation and act as a bridge between
India and the outside world.
Following the recommendations of the Singhvi Committee Re****t on the
Indian Dias****a (December 2001), January 9 came to be celebrated as
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (Overseas Indians Day).
The date has a symbolic significance. For it was on January 9, 1915,
that Gandhiji, often called the first Pravasi Bharatiya, returned to
India after two decades in South Africa where he led a struggle for
Indian freedom. On January 9, representatives of Indians overseas,
both people of Indian origin and non-resident Indians, assemble, the
Government of India confers decorations on the high profile ones among
them and policy pronouncements are made.
The estimated number of the Indian dias****a population is more than 20
million. They are scattered in different parts of the world, and
therefore it can be said that the sun never sets on the dias****a. It
will be simplistic and na=EFve to assume that the problems that they
face and what the future holds for them are identical in all cases.
Their problems are intertwined with the nature of their migration,
their social and economic status, the size of a given community,
educational attainments, and the majority-minority syndrome in the
countries where they have settled.
In countries such as South Africa, they were until recently subjected
to varying forms of discrimination. In Mauritius, Guyana, Malaysia,
Singa****e and Trinidad, they share political power. In Fiji, though
they constitute the majority community, they have been effectively
deprived of political power. In the United States, they are one of the
most affluent minority groups and an object of envy and admiration.
Nearer home in Sri Lanka, people of Indian origin were converted into
merchandise to be divided between the two countries in the name of
"good neighbourly relations." The media in India devote considerable
attention to happenings among Indians overseas. Academics have started
researching on their problems. Politicians are keeping abreast with
developments relating to them and the Ministry of Overseas Indian
Affairs regularly comes out with policy decisions.
Tragic status
However, not much attention is being devoted to the tragic status of
the Indian community in the neighbouring state of Mynamar. According
to the Singhvi Committee Re****t, the total Indian population in
Myanmar is estimated to be 2.9 million. Of this, 2,500,00 are people
of Indian origin, 2,000 are Indian citizens and 400,000 are stateless.
All of them were born in Myanmar and belong to the third or fourth
generation in the country. But since they "do not have any do***ents
to prove their citizen****p under the Burmese citizen****p law of 1982,"
they are deemed to be stateless. The only do***ent they had was the
foreigner's registration certificate, which they had to renew every
year on payment.
T.P. Sreenivasan, a former Indian Ambassador to Burma, has pointed
out: "They had no rights either in their land of origin or in their
land of adoption, and neither of the governments seemed concerned." In
fact, Myanmar has the largest number of stateless people among those
of the Indian dias****a.
The Singhvi Committee Re****t was an eye-opener. It said Indians are
"fairly impoverished in Myanmar." The more prosperous among them have
left following waves of nationalisation and other measures which hurt
their means of livelihood. The educational scene is pathetic. At one
time the faculty and alumni of the University of Rangoon comprised
mainly Indians. Today "there are hardly any Indian students in the
universities." This has resulted in a virtual extinction of a
professional class. The main reason was that "between 1964 and 1988,
Indians were denied admission to the universities and professional
courses."
The marginalisation of the Indian community is directly related to the
policies pursued by successive Burmese governments. The introduction
of radical land reforms in the days following independence hit the
members of the Chettiar community, who complained about not receiving
compensation. Even in cases where compensation was paid, it was
inadequate.
When the Burmese government introduced the Socialist Programme in the
1960s and nationalised even the retail trade, that sounded the death
knell of the poorer sections of the Indian population. Many of them
lost their savings, returned to India and had to start their lives
afresh. The Burmese repatriates complained that they lost their
savings, their properties were confiscated. Their women were not even
permitted to bring their mangalya sutra. Even after the lapse of 43
years, the issue of compensation to the affected Indians has not been
settled.
C.N. Annadurai, who became Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 1967, was
concerned about the developments in Burma and was keen to resolve the
compensation issue. In a conversation, Thomas Abraham, who was then
Minister Counselor in the Indian Embassy in Rangoon, recalled a
meeting he had with Annadurai in the Chief Minister's residence,
arranged through some common friends.
After discussing the pros and cons of the matter, Annadurai wrote to
the Central government suggesting that India enter into a long-term
agreement with Burma for the im****t of rice. He suggested that the
compensation due to be paid to Burmese repatriates be adjusted as part
of the proposed deal. In 1967 India was facing an acute shortage of
foodgrains. On his return to Rangoon, Mr. Abraham made a similar
proposal to the Ministry of External Affairs. Unfortunately, these
concrete proposals did not elicit a favourable response from New
Delhi.
'Hands-off policy'
In his recently published memoirs, Words, Words, Words: Adventures in
Indian Diplomacy, Mr. T.P. Sreenivasan has described the consequences
of New Delhi's "hands-off policy" with regard to the Indian community
in Myanmar. Though the Ne Win government expelled the Indian petty
traders, the authorities wanted the Indian farmers to stay back to
provide continuity in rice cultivation. When Mr. Sreenivasan visited
them, he found that the "farmers had become totally impoverished."
Their quality of life "was extremely poor." Ironically, they "did not
have even rice to eat" as the procurement authorities "lifted their
produce wholly." They had to consume low-quality rice, which the state
did not want to purchase for ex****t.
This year also Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is being celebrated. The
Ministers of the Central government, the government officials
concerned and delegates from developed countries will harp on the
necessity to speed up the administrative procedures relating to dual
citizen****p.But will they find time to discuss the abject living
conditions of the Indian community in Myanmar? Unlikely, because today
New Delhi is more keen to provide legitimacy to the authoritarian
government in Myanmar. Naturally, it will not like to focus on
embarrassing issues that impinge on bilateral relations -- like the
plight of the unfortunate children of Mother India.
(Dr. V. Suryanarayan is a retired Senior Professor of the Centre for
South and Southeast Asian Studies, University of Madras.)
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New York Times
January 31, 2008, 7:10 pm
Bush's Empty Words on Two Troubled Nations
By The Editorial Board
Words are cheap. And never cheaper than when humanitarian tragedies
are invoked in speeches for dramatic effect or out of a perfunctory
sense of obligation with no effective followup.
That looked to be the case when President Bush mentioned Sudan and
Myanmar (Burma) -- fleetingly -- in his uninspiring State of the Union
address on Monday night.
"America opposes genocide in Sudan," Mr. Bush declared as the
assembled Senators and Congressmen applauded.
Mr. Bush also drew applause when he asserted sup****t for freedom in
Burma. We're glad both tragedies are still on Mr. Bush's radar. But
mentioning them served only to remind us how much is left undone.
Let's look at the facts. The United States first called the killings
in Darfur genocide in 2004 when then-Secretary of State Colin Powell
told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: "We concluded -- I
concluded -- that genocide has been committed in Darfur and that the
government of Sudan and the Janjaweed (militia) bear responsibility --
and genocide may still be occurring."
That was a big deal. Wa****ngton doesn't throw the term "genocide"
around
lightly. It is reserved only for the most heinous and widespread
atrocities like the Holocaust. Good for Mr. Bush for reaffirming that
determination for Darfur.
But how will he end the conflict? What does the United States do now?
The genocide determination imposes a moral obligation on those who
make the accusation.
As a signatory of the 1948 Genocide Convention, the United States is
committed to preventing and puni****ng genocide.
After five years of conflict, more than 200,000 Darfuris are dead and
two and a half million have been driven from their homes. Still,the
killing continues despite endless speeches, United Nations Security
Council resolutions and -- at long last -- a security council decision
to mount the largest international peacekeeper force ever authorized.
Unfortunately, only about a tenth of the promised additional
peacekeepers are in place and much of the needed equipment has not
arrived.
Sudan's government is a major obstacle, but the world community has
not done all it can or should to stand up to Khartoum. Mr. Bush's
comments, however welcome a reminder of the problem, didn't begin to
address a way forward.
As for Myanmar, insiders say Mr. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush are
deeply concerned about the country's pro-democracy activists after a
crackdown by the military junta last August, and senior administration
officials continue to have daily conversations and weekly meetings
about how to encourage the junta into some sort of transition from
military rule.
But expectations that last August's protests led by Buddhist monks
could end the junta's domination have long since faded and there is
division and confusion over what more the United States and its allies
could do to push the process along. The junta has delayed a return of
United Nations special envoy Ibrahmi Gambari, who is working on
political reconciliation but is increasingly viewed in the West as
ineffectual.
And many countries appear to have lost enthusiasm for challenging the
junta, either because they are eager for contracts with Myanmar
involving resources like oil and gems, or they fear creating
instability in the region. (China, India and the Southeast Asian
nations are key, but Europe and America also have commercial interests
there.)
Still, the crackdown continues. On Tuesday, the junta charged 10
activists detained during last year's protests and they could face up
to seven years in prison.
Amnesty International said recently that 700 people arrested after
those demonstrations remained locked up and more than 80 were
unaccounted for.
So when Mr. Bush says the United States sup****ts freedom in Burma,
that's all well and good. But the same question must be asked as with
Darfur: What's next?
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Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)
Burmese blogger Nay Phone Latt, mysteriously missing
February 1, 2008
The Burmese blogger, Nay Phone Latt, allegedly arrested by the police
on Tuesday has mysteriously gone missing, family members complained.
Daw Aye Aye Than, mother of blogger and writer, Nay Phone Latt, said,
the whereabouts of her son cannot be confirmed as authorities
including police officers in Thuwana and Thingan Kyun police stations
and Ministry of Home Affairs deny detaining him.
Daw Aye Aye Than said her son left home on Tuesday at about noon but
when they tried to contact him on cell phone at about 1:00 p.m. he
could not be contacted.
"And at around 2:30 p.m. the authorities came to our house but did not
ask for Nay Phone Latt. They looked around the house. So I think he
must have been arrested before they came to us," Daw Aye Aye Than told
Mizzima.
She added that the police team led by Maj. Hein Htet while not
mentioning their purpose searched around the house, as if looking for
someone in hiding.
"We went to the office of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Tingankyun and
Thuwana police stations to inquire about him but all the authorities
would tell us was they don't know him and he is not here," Daw Aye Aye
Than said.
Daw Aye Aye Than said she is worried for her son and could not
understand the reason for his mysterious disappearance.
"I am very sad for this kind of unlawful action, I don't understand
why they [authorities] are doing this to my son because he is not
involved in any illegal activities and does all his work openly," Daw
Aye Aye Than said.
Nay Phone Latt, who has a blogsite www.nayphonelatt.blogspot.com,
re****tedly disappeared on Tuesday. While many of his colleagues
believe he has been arrested by the police, there are, so far no
eyewitness accounts.
While earlier, some friends said he was taken away by the police from
an internet caf=E9 in Thingan Kyun town****p in Rangoon, his mother's
version indicates that he was arrested while on the road.
While either version cannot be independently verified, it is still
uncertain that the authorities have taken him away, as there are no
eyewitnesses.
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Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)
Burmese authorities take in another two NLD youth
Maung Dee
February 1, 2008
In a continuous crackdown on dissidents, Burmese authorities on Friday
morning took in two youth members of Burma's main opposition party -
National League for Democracy - for interrogation, a party official
said.
Nyan Win, a NLD spokesperson, said Thiha and Htein Win, both in-
charges of NLD youth in wards 19 and 94, respectively, of North Dagon
Myothit, were taken from their residences by Special Branch Police at
about 7:30 a.m. (local time).
"Thiha and Htein Win were taken this morning by a team of Special
Branch Police led by sub-inspector Zaw Min Oo. The police said they
had reason to interrogate the two youth leaders and took them away,"
Nyan Win said.
A youth close to the NLD youth leaders said family members remain
concerned as it is still unknown where the two are being held.
"Though we don't know what the police want to interrogate them about,
I think it might be connected to recent activities, particularly about
the bulletin that NLD youth published on Independence Day," the youth
told Mizzima.
In a similar incident, a Burmese blogger, Nay Phone Latt, was believed
to have been taken by the police on January 29 from an Internet caf=E9
in Rangoon's Thingan Kyun Town****p.
Family members Nay Phone Latt also remain concerned, as authorities
have denied detaining him and his whereabouts is still unknown.
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KNU celebrates Karen revolution day
Feb 1, 2008 (DVB)-The Karen National Union marked the 59th anniversary
of Karen revolution day yesterday in a celebration at the Karen
National Liberation Army headquarters in KNU-controlled territory.
The secretary-general of the KNU, Pado Manh Sha gave a speech at the
event calling on all Karen people to take part in the struggle for
freedom.
"This is a revolution for the Karen people to free themselves from
being enslaved, and so all people of Karen nationality should take
part in it," Pado Manh Sha said.
He also said that people should follow the four principles set out Saw
Ba U Gyi, one of the KNU's original founders.
"One, never talk about surrender; two, Karen arms should be in the
hands of the Karen people; three, we must complete the development of
the Karen nation; four, only Karen can shape the future of the Karen,"
Pado Manh Sha said.
"We have to stick to these four principles set out by Saw Ba U Gyi; we
need to march on under the leader****p of the KNU," he said.
"The KNU vows to stand firm to the end for the benefit of the Karen
nation."
Thousands of Karen people attended the celebration, along with people
from various pro-democracy groups.
KNLA military commander-in-chief general Saw Mutu Say Pho was given a
guard of honour by KNLA troops.
One KNLA brigade 7 soldier, who was on security duty during the
celebrations, said that the Karen people should be united.
"We should always recognise ourselves as Karen people, and we should
carry out our duties within this movement with unity and cooperation
and without betrayal," he said.
A Karen woman who attended the celebration said she hoped the Karen
people would be successful.
"I believe in this revolution because it stands on the side of truth,
and I hope we will achieve our goal," she said.
Battalion 101 commander lieutenant-colonel Phaw Doh warned the Karen
people against listening to groups who had defected from the KNU, such
as the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army.
Phaw Doh said that the KNU would welcome back any of soldiers who
wanted to return to the KNU.
"It is every Karen's responsibility to play their part for Karen
nationalism," Phaw Doh said.
"Whether they have broken away from the KNU or not, it is im****tant
for them not to do things the enemy [State Peace and Development
Council] orders them to do. We all still share Karen blood," he said.
Revolution day celebrations were also held at other KNU brigades and
battalions yesterday.
As part of the celebrations, a medal for heroism was awarded to
Brigade 7 commander brigadier-general Saw Johnny.
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