[Peace-discuss] Burma

Wed Jul 9 11:32:46 EDT 2014

 In respect to discussion on AOTA yesterday, I found this article from 2012, in respect to my friend, student leader/political activist Moethee, in respect to his and other exiles return to Burma, in 2012. Of most interest is his contact, see first paragraph. It's an interesting read in relation to his goals as well.

 <object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" width="300" height="300">< param name="movie" value="../../../12ads/housead/onlinead.swf"/>< param name="quality" value="high"/>< param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/>< param name="wmode" value="transparent">< embed src="../../../12ads/housead/onlinead.swf" quality="high" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" WMODE="transparent" width="300" height="300" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" allowScriptAccess="always"/>< /object>   ABSDF visit gets approvalShare

By Kyaw Hsu Mon
 Volume 32, No. 639
 August 13 - 19, 2012PRESIDENT U Thein Sein has given permission for the exiled leader of the All Burma Students Democratic Front, Moethee Zun, and six colleagues to visit Myanmar at the end of the month, the student leader said. 
Moethee Zun, the leader of the ABSDF’s armed wing, said Minister for Rail Transportation U Aung Min had recently informed him of the president’s decision, which he said came after much deliberation.
“This is a peace mission, there will be seven members including myself,” Moethee Zun said in an email interview on August 7.
“I’ve been given a life sentence [in absentia] and was told that’s why the government had to discuss the issue and take their time to make a decision. We don’t have to make any promises to the president. We will definitely discuss peacebuilding and economic development when we are there,” he said.
A United States citizen, Moethee Zun lives in Mae Sot, Thailand. In an earlier interview with The Myanmar Times, he called on the government to make a definitive break with previous regimes by placing national interest ahead of national security.
He said whether he would be allowed back into the country would “depend on how much the government has changed and how much more tolerant it is”.
“And it will depend on the government’s desire to cooperate with different forces and to listen to many different views.”
He said the ABSDF wanted to return to the country to establish political freedom and “broaden the idea and culture of democracy and to increase the number of democrats”.
“I also want to work to improve understanding between Myanmar [people] and ethnic minority groups and try to help the international community to understand the situation in Myanmar.”
Despite some positive signs, Moethee Zun said he was not yet completely sure that the events of the past year were more than “cosmetic” changes. He also conceded that it would “take some time” for democracy to take root in Myanmar society.
“The former and current governments are the same in that they want to prioritise national security. You can see what their priority is after reading the constitution and looking at the policy-making structure. National interest is still placed second.”
He said the economy offered further evidence at the continuity between the present and former governments and urged U Thein Sein to level the playing field.
“Under the previous governments [the economy] was dominated by the state but now it becomes an economy dominated by one group, like a monopoly. All of the core sectors of the economy – financial, energy, telecommunications, transportation, construction, trade, agriculture, mining and industry – have been monopolised by a handful of people.
“A group that makes up less than 1 percent of the total population of the country has benefited from its resources, while the remaining 99pc have got nothing. This happened in the past and it’s still happening now. It’s very dangerous and the 1988 pro-democracy uprising was evidence of those dangers. In the long term, it’s not good for any of us, including the 1pc. It will create many problems so there is a need for laws that create a free and fair market for all citizens.”
He said reconciliation with ethnic and exiled groups offered an opportunity for the government to prove its doubters wrong.
“Myanmar is like a chronic heart disease patient. The best medicine for achieving national reconciliation is to wipe the slate clean as quickly as possible.
“Civil war is the ugly side of the history of Myanmar for the past 1000 years. We have been fighting with ethnic minorities from the Anawrahta to Alaungpaya eras. It is shameful that we have been taught in history classes that this has been a splendid thing for our country.
“For that reason, government should change from its priority of national security as fast as it can. Try to cooperate with America and to build an understanding with China. Allow Myanmar expatriates to come back as well.”
The ABSDF was formed on November 1, 1988 near the Thai-Myanmar border by students who fled the country following the pro-democracy protests earlier in the year. Working closely with the Karen National Union, it established a small army of student soldiers as part of its efforts for regime change.
Over the following two decades, it was regularly labeled a terrorist organisation by the government and blamed for a number of bombings and similar activities.
Over the past six months, however, a number of former ABSDF members have returned to Myanmar to assess change under U Thein Sein’s government.
Moethee Zun said that these individuals still shared his organisation’s belief in the struggle for democracy but differed in their views towards the government and how best to approach that struggle in the current political context.

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