Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon opened today the 21st Century Panglong Conference in Myanmar, which seeks a peaceful solution to the ethnic conflict in that country.
Advertisement
Reacting to Annan’s appointment, Ban said he would support his predecessor’s work in Rakhine and work with Myanmar’s central authorities to tackle the issue of the Rohingya. “I congratulate all participants for their patience, determination and spirit of compromise”.
Why are the talks happening now?
This is the first top-level engagement between India and Myanmar since pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi rode to power in Myanmar.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been plagued by violence since gaining independence in 1948, involving ethnic minority groups seeking independence or greater autonomy and angry at the dominance of the Burman ethnic majority.
The previous military-backed government brokered individual truces with various insurgent groups and oversaw a ceasefire covering eight minor insurgencies a year ago that fell short of a nationwide deal.
The conference was attended by 17 armed ethnic groups, many of which had refused to sign the ceasefire agreement last October.
A large number of Rohingyas are believed to have been killed and tens of thousands displaced in attacks by extremists who call themselves Buddhists.
Since then, other ethnic groups have also taken up arms.
Key parties will need time to hammer out a framework agreeable to a complex mix of stakeholders that include foreign governments including China, which maintains ties with ethnic armed groups on its border. Given the complexity of the issues in a country with scores of ethnic groups the inaugural conference is simply a “crucial first step” in the country’s “new, democratic era”, as one government negotiator put it.
But the BBC’s Jonah Fisher in Nay Pyi Taw says the military, which still holds 25% of seats in parliament, see their role as resisting the break-up of Myanmar, so are likely to oppose any such move.
Modi and Kyaw on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral security and defence cooperation, which, according to them, was crucial for maintaining peace and stability along the long India-Myanmar border.
“Anyone who is suggesting there could be any sort of agreement in the coming days or weeks is dreaming”, said Anthony Davis, a security analyst and writer for IHS-Jane’s, predicting the negotiations could take “many years”. “I urge you all to continue to face up to your responsibilities, particularly to the youth and children of Myanmar, the future of this wonderful country”, he said.
Representatives from the insurgents told the AFP news agency the Myanmar military had launched new attacks on rebel positions in the northern states of Shan and Kachin on Tuesday morning. “But the young people themselves must also remember the importance of inclusivity not just amongst armed groups but within all communities”, she added.
Advertisement
According to United Nations figures released this week, some 220,000 people are now displaced by ongoing fighting within Myanmar’s Kachin and Shan states, as well as by tensions in the western state of Rakhine. Many government officials brand the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh even though many can trace their ancestry in Myanmar.
