Women in Burma must act as an agent of Change – they must put an end to the mentality and culture of bully, violence, injustice and unfairness.

Last night I watched a program about the incidences that occurred during the dictatorial regime in Argentina, when hundreds of babies were stolen from their young parents, who were then killed by the regime, and the babies brought up as their own. Grandmothers of these children still grieve for their dead sons and daughters, and continue to look for their grandchildren. Only now because of these brave women, the truth has surfaced and a few of these perpetrators brought to justice and the children re-united with their grandmothers.

By: Sai Wansai
Tuesday, 19 March 2013

It is heartening to hear that at long last the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has taken the step to amend the 2008 Constitution.

It was all the more a surprise for the possible constitutional review was proposed by Aye Myint and Thein Zaw, both former generals and senior members of the ruling, military-backed USDP.

KACHIN TALKS

There is a certain amount of confusion and concern over how well the various ethnic nationalities forces are coordinating their peace efforts.

The recent meeting between the Kachin Independence Organization and the Government of Myanmar (GoM) in Shweli (Ruili) on 4 February 2013 is a good example. Internationally, it is seen as an event orchestrated by China. Others see it as a GoM manipulated event to force the KIO to the table. The Karen National Union (KNU) Chair General Mutu Sae Poe, the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) representative, and the EBO were seen, at best as pawns, and at worst, as complicit in the ‘conspiracy’. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Life is composed of many binary couplets: light and dark, rich and poor and most predominately in our world, good and evil. The drug situation in Shan state and how it is perceived in such contrast by the outside world is no exception. The people making the drugs are viewed as bad, and those trying to circumvent the drug manufacturing are good. A place that grows, manufactures and transports narcotics must be, to many people, a dark place where illicit dealings, shady characters and evil intentions dominate. Yet the current drug situation in Shan state is more complicated and demands closer inspection. It is naive to look at the issue through such a high contrast lens. There is much grey area in the drug trade in Burma. A symphony of economic drives, political forces and societal hardships account for much of the misrepresentation of drugs in the Shan state. This paper hopes to explore causes of the drug trade in Shan State within the context of its political unrest.  My ambition in this report is to enlighten those curious about the drug trade in Burma.  I hope to dispel the current global perception of Shan State’s drug trade as a venture purely for profit. There are many factors, both regional and global, that contribute to the drug trade. The most important factor however, is the ethnic conflict and how it correlates to the dark economy.

BRIEFING PAPER NO.12
FEBRUARY 2013
ALLIED IN WAR, DIVIDED IN PEACE

THE FUTURE OF ETHNIC UNITY IN BURMA

On 20 February 2013, the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) an 11 member ethnic alliance  met with the Burmese Government’s Union Peace Working Committee (UPWC) at the Holiday Inn, Chiang Mai, Thailand. The meeting, supported by the Nippon Foundation, was an attempt by Government negotiators to include all relevant actors in the peace process. The UNFC is seen as one of the last remaining actors to represent the various armed ethnic groups in the country (for more information see BP No.6 Establishing a Common Framework) and has frequently sought to negotiate terms as an inclusive ethnic alliance.

The interview with Jason Eligh is very illuminating and opens the door for comment in rebuttal to his position.

His position is predisposed that there is a Union of Myanamar and a central government.

By: Sai Wansai
Wednesday, 27 February 2013

President Thein Sein on Tuesday, February 26, met Norway's prime minister as he kicked off a 10-day visit to Europe aimed at forging stronger ties between Burma and the West. He will be visiting Finland, Austria, Belgium and Italy before returning home on March 8.

By: Sai Wansai
Thursday, 21 February 2013

Ultimately, talking is better than shooting at each other. But the Burmese double-track approach must be seen a "good-cop, bad-cop" tactical move and cannot totally be seen as sincere undertakings, leading to a "win-win" situation.