Myanmar must share power for peace
Clashes broke out between four ethnic armed groups in Myanmar and national troops on Sunday in the northern part of the country near China. Some stray bullets fell on the Chinese side and threatened the safety of Chinese people and facilities in the border areas.
The outbreak of armed conflicts in northern Myanmar came at a critical time in Myanmar’s peace process. The four armed groups may have taken the initiative to reverse the unfavorable situation where the Kachin Independence Army was besieged by government forces.
The latest armed conflicts will undoubtedly exert negative impact on the national reconciliation advocated by Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of Myanmar’s National League for Democracy ( NLD). There are several possible consequences.
The attacks may enrage Myanmar government forces so that Min Aung Hlaing, commander- in- chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces, sends troops to exterminate some of the four groups involved. Or the NLD government may side with the Myanmar military so that peace talks cannot continue. It is also possible that northern Myanmar returns to the recurring conflicts. All in all, the four ethnic armed groups may intend to use the efforts of Suu Kyi, the NLD and China to force Myanmar troops to make concessions so that the rebels can secure their occupied areas.
Yet the armed groups have never remained unified for long, and government forces have never wanted to make concessions. They will deal with the armed groups one by one.
So far, Myanmar has yet to achieve national unity. The country’s history since Myanmar became independent proves that ethnic conflicts in Myanmar cannot be solved by force. From November 2013, the Myanmar government and armed ethnic groups have held nine rounds of peace talks and eventually reached a national cease- fire agreement. So far, eight groups have signed the agreement.
In April, Suu Kyi expressed her hopes for convening a national reconciliation conference like the 1947 Panglong Conference and making more ethnic armed groups join the cease- fire agreement. On August 31, the 21st Century Panglong Conference held its first meeting and announced the conference will be held every six months, in the hope that complete peace can be achieved across Myanmar by 2019 or 2020.
The divergences of the NLD government, Myanmar forces and armed ethnic groups can only be addressed through peace talks in a manner of mutual understanding. While it is impracticable for the ethnic armed groups to try to control the power and resources in their regions, it is hard for Myanmar forces to persuade the rebels simply by cracking down on them.
Myanmar’s political transition will continue to be troubled by ethnic issues unless the country implements federalism or high- level ethnic autonomy, which will affect the unity of the nation. Myanmar people have a difficult choice to make.
The key to resolving conflicts between Myanmar troops and ethnic armed groups is to find a suitable mechanism for sharing power and benefits as soon as possible. How to achieve national reconciliation, realize the targets of political transition and turn Myanmar into a unified, democratic and prosperous country will be a test for Myanmar people.
China’s position on the armed conflicts in northern Myanmar is consistent, transparent and clear. China hopes that parties involved in the conflicts can exercise restraint and take effective measures to quickly restore and maintain stability in the ChinaMyanmar border area. China will neither support the ethnic armed groups to expand the conflicts, nor support the military to exterminate rebels. After all, no matter who started the conflicts, it is the local people that suffer, and even the border areas between Myanmar and China will face security challenges.
Under the current circumstance, more efforts are needed to promote peace talks. China can take stronger measures of creative involvement to intensify coordination and mediation, and urge the military, the government and ethnic armed groups to go back to the negotiating table.