OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT THEIN SEIN

contact@kachinalliance.org

 

President Thein Sein
President Office
Naypyidaw, Republic of the Union of Myanmar

Sept 26, 2012

Dear President Thein Sein,

The Kachin Alliance, representatives of the Kachin community in the US, extends a warm welcome as you arrive in this country to attend the UN General Assembly.

We laud your efforts to bring about political and economic reform to Myanmar. We sincerely hope that will extend your efforts to bringing about true peace and reconciliation, so that the Kachin in Myanmar will be able to enjoy the benefits of your reforms.

The US Kachin community is deeply concerned that the civil war being waged in the Kachin area has remained unabated since the resumption of hostilities in June, 2011. As you may be aware, this has caused untold miseries to tens of thousands of our kinsmen who have had to flee homes and villages, and are in dire need of the most basic of human needs. They are having to live in constant fear and uncertainty, driven back into conflict zones from camps along the China border, and their rights violated, even in the sanctity of church-run camps in government controlled territory.

We wish to reiterate here, the historical fact that it is mainly due to our forefathers’ trust in Gen. Aung San’s promise of equal rights that the Union of Burma came into being. Staying loyal and true to their commitment to the Union, Kachin servicemen fought valiantly alongside other hill tribe troops to stave off the danger posed by the myriad of insurgencies that emerged soon after independence, saving the young nation from disintegrating. The tributes paid by the late Prime Minister U Nu in his Kachin State Day messages, stand testimony to this fact. It is unfortunate that this trust has been eroded to such an extent that government troops are now waging war against the descendants of a people who once came to the rescue of the Union.

Trusting in your strong, progressive leadership, we firmly believe peace is possible and that now is the time to strive for real and decisive peace. The people of Myanmar, and indeed the whole world, are watching and waiting for you to take the pivotal steps that will lead to a just and lasting peace, not just ceasefires that fail to deal with the root causes of ethnic discontent. We therefore, urge you and your administration to grasp this moment to bring about peace, as those who achieve peace now will gain honor in history, and those who do not will be condemned to sustain the failures of the past.

We would also like to take this opportunity to urge you to resolve the following peace-related issues:

• Begin a political dialogue leading to a genuine federal union that guarantees equality and self-determination for ethnic nationalities.
• Initiate and declare an end to offensive war against all armed ethnic nationalities forces by issuing a public statement.
• Promote transparency by declaring actual casualty and financial cost of current civil war.
• Show kindness to Burmese soldiers by NOT sending them to harm’s way to fight in an unjust war.
• Stop the harassment, interrogation, and detention of the innocent Kachin civilians by the local authorities.
• Assurance of a free flow of domestic and international aid for Kachin IDPs, as the solution to the IDP problem needs to be a prerequisite to any and all future talks, military or political.
• Allow the presence of UN observer teams or intermediary teams in conflict zones and IDP camps to monitor and prevent human rights abuses.

We thank you for your attention, and trust that you will use all the powers vested in you as President, to bring about unprecedented peace and prosperity, in a truly democratic federal union.

For the cause of peace, justice and equality in Burma,

Kachin Alliance of United States of America