The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) said it was promised
political dialogue by a Burmese government delegation during talks at the
Sino-Burmese border town of Ruili on Tuesday.
Led by KIO politician Sumlut Gam,
the KIO did not broach matters relating to a ceasefire between the sides, but
instead focused only on calling for a political solution to the ongoing
conflict, and fixing a venue for the next round of negotiations, said sources
in Ruili.
The government delegation, for
its part, felt that the meeting was undermined by the Kachin rebels sending
low-ranking representatives to the talks, the sources said.
Speaking to The Irrawaddy on
Tuesday, Sumlut Gam said, “War can break out at any time if we only sign a
ceasefire without dealing with the political problems by political means—not
military means.”
He said that President’s Office
Minister Aung Min promised the KIO that his delegation would discuss items
related to political dialogue in the near future. Aung Min also told KIO
representatives that he will hold talks with the ethnic bloc United
Nationalities Federal Council by December, according to Sumlut Gam.
“The government delegation
promised there will be political dialogue,” he said. “And they said they wish
to hold the next round of talks in Burma—perhaps in Bhamo or in Muse. The KIO
can choose the venue.”
Sources who spoke to The
Irrawaddy said that the KIO representatives sought to verify that political
dialogue will be on the forthcoming agenda. The government delegation, on the
other hand, urged the KIO to help maintain peace and security along the public
highway between Kachin capital Myitkyina and the town of Putao in the far north
of Kachin State.
The government delegation also
asked the KIO to grant permission to the respective authorities so that work
can be restarted on repairing the Taping hydropower dam on the banks of the
Taping River in southern Kachin State. They also brought up the issue of the
reduction of military forces in the northern region by both the Burmese army
and the KIO’s military wing, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).
Meanwhile, sources close to both
the KIO and the government delegation said that the latter was “somewhat
displeased” that the Kachin rebels had dispatched such a low-ranking delegation
to the Ruili meeting while Naypyidaw’s team included four ministers.
Sources at the Sino-Burma border
said that the government delegation also included high-raking military
officials. However, Lt-Gen Myint Soe, the commander of the Bureau of Special
Operations (1), who oversees military operations in Kachin State, Mandalay and
Sagaing Divisions, opted not to attend the meeting after learning that the KIO
had sent what he considered a lowly delegation.
Myint Soe and a handful of other
military officials decided not to attend the peace talks when they reached the
border town of Muse and were told that Maj-Gen Sumlut Gun Maw, the vice-chief
of staff of the KIA, and a few other Kachin military chiefs would not be
present at the meeting.
KIO sources, however, maintained
that Gun Maw was unable to attend the meeting as he is too busy overseeing
military activities in Kachin State.
The KIO is the largest ethnic
armed group that has not signed a ceasefire agreement with the new government.
It has met with government peace delegations several times this year but
without tangible results.
According to Hla Maung Shwe, a
government peace broker, the Burmese government is now considering withdrawing
some of its troops from KIO territories.
Sources close to the KIO said
that the Kachin leadership wants talks to include not only ceasefire details
but also political affairs, and that negotiations should include
representatives of all ethnic armed groups.
Recently, the UNFC said that it
will informally meet the Naypyidaw delegation, probably in Thailand during the
first week of November.
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