BGF impasse explained to people by Kachin leaders

Ethnic Kachin leaders in northern Burma today took pains to explain to the people the impasse on the Border Guard Force (BGF) issue with the country’s ruling junta. The public meeting comes before the crucial junta-set deadline of April 22 for transforming the Kachin armed forces.

Over 2400 Kachin public and KIO members in Kachin State and Shan State joined to the KIO's public meeting in Laiza headquarters. Photo: Kachin News Group.

The public meeting was organized in Laiza, the headquarters of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) in east Kachin State, near the China border. Over 2400 KIO members and members of the public from two states—Kachin and Shan were the audience. Two senior KIO officers took on the onerous task of explaining to the people, said participants.

Dr. Lahkyen La Ja, KIO general secretary detailed all the discussions with the junta on transforming the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the armed-wing of the KIO to the junta-proposed BGF.

According to Dr. La Ja, the two sides met 15 times on the contentious BGF issue in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State since April 28, last year. The issue could not be negotiated because the junta kept pressing the KIA to transform to BGF.

He quoted Burmese military officials as saying that the BGF proposal was the brainchild of junta supremo Snr-Gen Than Shwe and is a goodwill gesture by the military leader.

Brig-Gen Sumlut Gun Maw, Vice Chief of Staff of KIA said that the KIO was told to come up with a clear response on the BGF regarding acceptance by Lt-Gen Ye Myint, Chief of the junta’s Military Affairs Security (MAS) when the KIO delegates met him in Myitkyina on April 4.

In the last meeting, Lt-Gen Ye Myint made it abundantly clear that the KIO has to provide a clear answer on the BGF issue on April 22. Following, which the armed-wing must be transformed within two weeks from April 28, said Brig-Gen Gun Maw.

Lt-Gen Ye Myint also cautioned about the cancellation of the ceasefire agreement saying “If the KIO does not abide by the latest instructions, the relations will revert to the period before the 1994 ceasefire agreement,” the KIA’s Vice Chief of Staff added.

Meanwhile, the latest KIO proposal was sent to Snr-Gen Than Shwe yesterday.

The proposal states that the KIO would like to resolve the BGF issue by peaceful alternative means, not militarily. It wants to convert the KIA to the Union Defence Force under the Burmese Army, maintaining its current status, said Dr. La Ja.

The KIO reiterated to the junta that it would like to convert the KIA after the political imbroglio is resolved through dialogue.

The KIO delegates will meet Burmese military officials again on April 22 and it is expected to explain its latest proposal instead of coming up with a clear response on the BGF issue as sought by the junta, said KIO officials in Laiza.

Till now, there is no sign of impending civil war between the KIO and the ruling junta, said local military observers.

Source :http://kachinnews.com/News/BGF-impasse-explained-to-people-by-Kachin-leaders.html