UNITED NATIONALITIES FEDERAL COUNCIL (Union of Burma)
Reply to the Open Letter
August 5, 2011
To,
The People’s Leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,
We, the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), received in good order your open letter, dated July 28, 2011, sent to President U Thein Sein and our UNFC member organizations, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the Karen National Union (KNU), the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA). Instead of the UNFC member organizations, to which the letter was addressed, making a reply individually, we, the UNFC comprising of almost all the armed organizations, would like to make a reply regarding our position, on behalf of all the member organizations.
Before clarifying our position, we would like to make some introduction with regard to the UNFC. The Conference of the Ethnic Nationalities, held from February 12 to 16, 2011, founded the UNFC. The member organizations of the UNFC are – the (1) Kachin Independence Organization - KIO, (2) Karen National Union - KNU, (3) Karenni National Progressive Party - KNPP, (4) Chin National Front - CNF, (5) New Mon State Party - NMSP, (6) Shan State Progress Party - SSPP, (7) Pa-ao National Liberation Organization - PNLO, (8) Palaung State Liberation Front - PSLF, (9) Arakan National Council - ANC, (10) Lahu Democratic Union - LDU, (11) Wa National Organization - WNO and (12) Kachin National Organization - KNO. The UNFC’s political goal is the establishment a ‘Genuine Federal Union, which guarantees full rights of National Equality and Self-determination within the States’.
We, the UNFC, would like to present also our basic position and view regarding the current Union of Burma. From the historical perspective, we see that the land area of the current Union of Burma is an entity composed of the traditional lands of the ethnic nationalities, including that of the Burman ethnic nationality. Moreover, it has become an independent State that has gained liberation from colonial rule and serfdom, as a result of the collective struggle. For that reason, it is a State owned collectively by all the ethnic nationalities. In this collectively owned State, we the ethnic nationalities aspire to live together in harmony and unity with full ethnic and equal political rights. When we peacefully submitted our request for that aspiration, it has not only been rejected, but as action has been taken against us also with armed attacks, we had no choice but to take up arms in self-defense.
The over 60-year long nationality question is being confronted only with military suppression without any action for resolution by political means, the multi-ethnic people of the country have to face with all kinds of difficulties, as the country is behind in progress in spite of our country having abundant natural resources. Though the people are citizens of a free country, none of the ethnic nationalities including the Burman, has ever had an opportunity to enjoy the taste of freedom. Just like Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, we realize the adverse impacts the civil war has caused on the country and the negative effects resulting from the use of force to resolve the civil war. Accordingly, we would like to say in reply that we the armed ethnic nationality forces accept and support your proposal and call for resolution of the problem of armed conflict by political means, through dialogue and negotiation.
(Nai Han Tha)
General Secretary
Reply to the Open Letter
August 5, 2011
To,
The People’s Leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,
We, the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), received in good order your open letter, dated July 28, 2011, sent to President U Thein Sein and our UNFC member organizations, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the Karen National Union (KNU), the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA). Instead of the UNFC member organizations, to which the letter was addressed, making a reply individually, we, the UNFC comprising of almost all the armed organizations, would like to make a reply regarding our position, on behalf of all the member organizations.
Before clarifying our position, we would like to make some introduction with regard to the UNFC. The Conference of the Ethnic Nationalities, held from February 12 to 16, 2011, founded the UNFC. The member organizations of the UNFC are – the (1) Kachin Independence Organization - KIO, (2) Karen National Union - KNU, (3) Karenni National Progressive Party - KNPP, (4) Chin National Front - CNF, (5) New Mon State Party - NMSP, (6) Shan State Progress Party - SSPP, (7) Pa-ao National Liberation Organization - PNLO, (8) Palaung State Liberation Front - PSLF, (9) Arakan National Council - ANC, (10) Lahu Democratic Union - LDU, (11) Wa National Organization - WNO and (12) Kachin National Organization - KNO. The UNFC’s political goal is the establishment a ‘Genuine Federal Union, which guarantees full rights of National Equality and Self-determination within the States’.
We, the UNFC, would like to present also our basic position and view regarding the current Union of Burma. From the historical perspective, we see that the land area of the current Union of Burma is an entity composed of the traditional lands of the ethnic nationalities, including that of the Burman ethnic nationality. Moreover, it has become an independent State that has gained liberation from colonial rule and serfdom, as a result of the collective struggle. For that reason, it is a State owned collectively by all the ethnic nationalities. In this collectively owned State, we the ethnic nationalities aspire to live together in harmony and unity with full ethnic and equal political rights. When we peacefully submitted our request for that aspiration, it has not only been rejected, but as action has been taken against us also with armed attacks, we had no choice but to take up arms in self-defense.
The over 60-year long nationality question is being confronted only with military suppression without any action for resolution by political means, the multi-ethnic people of the country have to face with all kinds of difficulties, as the country is behind in progress in spite of our country having abundant natural resources. Though the people are citizens of a free country, none of the ethnic nationalities including the Burman, has ever had an opportunity to enjoy the taste of freedom. Just like Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, we realize the adverse impacts the civil war has caused on the country and the negative effects resulting from the use of force to resolve the civil war. Accordingly, we would like to say in reply that we the armed ethnic nationality forces accept and support your proposal and call for resolution of the problem of armed conflict by political means, through dialogue and negotiation.
(Nai Han Tha)
General Secretary
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