Myanmar keeps peace process open to ethnic Kachin armed group

Myanmar Minister of Border Affairs Lieutenant-General Thein Htay told the ongoing parliament session that the government's peace process is always kept open to the ethnic armed group of Kachin Independence Army (KIA), believing that problems are to be solved peacefully by building mutual trust. ""If KIA offers to make peace, the government on its part is ready to accept the talks," he said, dealing with a proposal made by a parliament member. "The government deeply believes that discussions to seek answers between both sides can restore eternal peace, " he added. He disclosed that a total of 5,580 people fled the armed the clashes in the Kachin state and they were accommodated at 38 relief camps in the four months from June to September with relief aid provided by the government, United Nations's World Food Program (WFP), international and local non-governmental organizations. Armed clashes between the government forces and the ethnic KIA in northernmost Kachin state, one of the peace groups refusing to be transformed into border guard force, broke out in early June this year near a power project site of Tarpein. The clashes intensified seven people have been shot dead and another one has been injured in the last gunfire launched by the KIA on Aug. 2. Intermittent fightings were going on along with hard negotiation. The KIA once returned to the government's legal fold in 1994 under ceasefire agreement. Meanwhile, the Myanmar government has initiated first peace agreements with that of Wa Special Region-2 and that of Mongla Special Region-4 respectively for the first time in early October. The agreements cover reopening the offices of education, health and communication from both sides, cooperating with the government in drug elimination, promoting development of border areas and undertaking basic economic needs of both sides. Myanmar's central government, in its peace efforts, issued an announcement on Aug. 18, calling on anti-government ethnic armed groups to come for peace talks to end internal armed insurrection and build internal peace in the country. The peace talks offered by the central government came shortly after Myanmar President U Thein Sein outlined some new policy especially dealing with armed conflicts with ethnic armed groups and dissidents staying in and out of the country. Since 1994, 17 major anti-government ethnic armed groups and 23 other small groups have made peace with the government, of which some were resettled in special regions with arms retained, conditionally enjoying self-administration. There still remains a number of such armed groups including the largest one, the Kayin National Union (KNU), that is still fighting with the central government for over five decades and has not made peace with the government yet. Meanwhile, of those groups that have made peace with the government, 15 groups laid down their arms completely, while five were transformed into government's border guard forces and 15 into people's militia. The five transformed border guard forces went to New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K) in Kachin State Special Region-1, Kayinni Nationalities People's Liberation Front (KNPLF) in Kayah State Special Region-2 , the Kokang Army in Shan State (North) Special Region-1 in the northeast, Shan state-East border guard force and the Democratic Kayin Buddhist Army (DKBA). However, five other peace groups rejected to be so transformed, namely, KIA, United Wa State Army (UWSA), National Democracy Alliance Army (NDAA)-Mongla, New Mon State Party (NMSP) and Kayin National Union(KNU)-U Htay Maung group. Of them, the Wa group of UWSA and the Mongla group of NDAA have recently responded to the government's peace offer.