Thursday, 07 January 2010 16:56 Mizzima News (Research)
(The following is an unofficial translation of the UWSA response to Lt. Gen. Ye Myint of the Burmese Army regarding the junta's demand that the UWSA transform itself into a border guard force.)
Respected Lt. Gen. Ye Myint,
We hereby present our attitude and demands on regional demarcation and transformation of our armed forces in cooperation with the State Transformation Policy Committee.
1 (a) Our attitude and demands on regional demarcation
In the constitution, the Wa region is defined as a Wa Self-Administered Division with two districts consisting of six townships, namely Hopan, Meng Mao, Pan Wai, Na Phan, Met Mann and Pangshang. However, we also learned that the Meng Pauk, Meng Phyin and Wan Hong regions, previously part of the Wa region, are no longer to be included in the Wa Self-Administered Division. This demarcation is copied from the 1948 Constitution, as the region consisted of six townships inhabited by Wa people. We hereby present that though we held a series of meetings on these facts with our rank and file throughout this year [2009], most of the cadres and people cannot accept it.
Ethnic Wa people are one of the ethnic races residing in the Union of Myanmar and they are a backward and underdeveloped ethnic indigenous race. As per the United Nations Indigenous Tribes Declaration passed on 13th September 2007, the State should grant self-jurisdiction, self-administration and other preferential rights to the Wa indigenous race as they deserve these rights. Thus, we respectfully present the following attitudes and demands to make appropriate adjustments within the framework of the Constitution.
1. Meng Pauk and Meng Phying shall be constituted as Meng Pauk Township within the Wa Self-Administered Division. The seat of the Self-Administered Division Office shall be in Pang Kham and there will be two districts under this Division. Thus, we demand and present here that, in these two districts, there shall be seven townships, namely Ho Pang, Meng Mao, Pan Wai, Nar Phang, Met Mann, Pang Kham and Meng Pauk.
2. Regarding the Wa Southern Region, then Gen. Khin Nyunt invited U Bao You Xiang to Kengtung for a meeting with him on 30th September 1999, discussing the eradication of opium growing and assisting former opium farmers in their livelihood. He agreed for the migration of opium farmers to the southern Wa areas of Yone Pang, Wan Hong, Meng Kan, Hui Au, Ho Ywet and Meng Kyauk. In the same year, during his inspection tour of this region, Gen. Khin Nyunt said to us on behalf of Senior Gen. Than Shwe and Vice-Senior Gen. Maung Aye that the administration of this southern region resides with the Wa and not with any other organization. This provision included security along the Thai-Burma border as well as developmental works in the region. We trust the promises and directives given to us by the State. Hence, we ask for inclusion of the Wan Hong region as a self-administered region and that this self-administered zone shall be constituted as part of the Wa Self-Administered Division under Wa leadership.
2(b) Our attitude and demands on transforming our armed forces
We hereby present our position on forming two Sub-military Regions based on battalions.
1. Wan Hong Sub-military Region
Currently there are five brigades, the 248, 518, 772, 775 and 778.
There will be one commanding officer in this Sub-military Region and an officer from the Wa armed forces shall assume charge of this post.
Under his command there will be two second-in-commands of the Sub-military Region, which shall be divided equally between the Wa armed forces and Tatmadaw (government armed forces).
There will be one General Staff post to be assumed by an officer of the Wa armed forces.
Under his command there will be two posts for Deputy General Staff, comprising one officer each from the Wa and Tatmadaw.
By and large the Tatmadaw will take responsibility for logistics, healthcare and instruction and training, with the Wa armed forces complementing them in these tasks.
We hereby present our position - due to different language, customs and lifestyle - that officers from the Wa armed forces will occupy all battalion commander posts and that the Tatmadaw does not need to send officers to fill these posts.
2. Pan Kham Sub-military Region
This comprises the 31, 418 and 468 brigades, a garrison battalion and a battery of artillery, thereby totaling five departments stationed in the Pan Kham Sub-military Region.
There will be one commanding officer position for the Pan Kham Sub-military Region and it will be filled by an officer from the Wa armed forces.
There will be four second-in-command posts in the Sub-military Region and three of them will be taken by officers from the Wa armed forces, with the remaining one taken by an officer from the Tatmadaw.
There will be one General Staff officer post to be occupied by an officer from the Wa armed forces.
There will be two Deputy General Staff officer posts, split between the Wa armed forces and Tatmadaw.
By and large, the Tamadaw will take responsibility for the logistics, healthcare and training, with the Wa armed forces complementing in these tasks.
We hereby present our position - due to different language, customs and lifestyle - that officers from the Wa armed forces will occupy all battalion commander posts and that the Tatmadaw does not need to send officers to fill these posts.
3(c) Age limitation
We hereby present our position that there should be an age limit for officers of 18 to 50 for battalion commanders, cadre officers below battalion commander and privates, and up to 60 for cadre officers of Sub-Military Regions.
4(d) Other matters
After transforming our armed forces, there will be a remaining strength of nearly 3,000 troops in our Army. Apart from that, staff persons from various governmental departments in the Wa region, such as finance, judicial, political, agricultural, irrigation, forestry, construction, women’s affairs and foreign relations will be redundant to the tune of a total of over 5,000 people. We hereby demand and present our position to grant redundant personnel their pension and other benefits for five years in a lump sum as per the prescription made by the State.
We also hope the State will take consideration regarding 1,000 disabled and invalid former soldiers, providing them with some lifetime financial assistance.
Moreover, there are about 2,000 orphans and economically backward school children in our region. We hope the State will give them financial assistance, annually, for five years.
5(e) Training of personnel
To save financial resources of the State, the training of personnel from newly transformed armed forces can be conducted in Meng Mao, Pan Kham, Meng Pauk and Wan Hang. The Tatmadaw, with the Wa complimenting them in this task, shall provide the training instructors.
6(f) Local works
Currently the Meng Mao District comprises ten townships and one army unit. Similarly Weng Kao District comprises five townships and one army unit, Meng Pauk five townships and one army unit, and Nam Tik Special Township one township and one army unit, respectively.
Pan Kham Special Township and Meng Phying Township also comprise one township and one army unit.
Wang Hong region comprises six townships and six township army units - with a troop strength of over 7,000. After establishing and forming the Wa Self-Administered Division, most of these soldiers will be left needing pension benefits, so we demand the State to take into consideration the needs for their livelihood. When necessary, under the principle of self-decision making, we shall establish companies for business and agricultural works, and will take care of and responsibility for opium substitution plantations already in operation.
7(g) People’s Militia
There are over 20,000 armed People’s Militia in the Wa region. How to rehabilitate and resettle them is another problem for us. We demand the maintenance of a People’s Militia force after conducting a selection process among the current personnel.
8(h) Work on maintaining local law and order
We need to establish different levels of police forces and police stations to maintain law and order in the border region, mainly in the towns, villages and local areas.
9(i) Presentations on areas that need to be guaranteed by the State
1. The State shall fully guarantee the life and wealth of any organization or any individual formerly a member or part of any organization in the Wa Region, and the State shall grant them immunity from prosecution unless they commit any violation of law after the transformation and reorganization of the Wa armed forces has been completed.
2. We demand and ask that the State honor all treaties signed and agreements reached between the Wa Region Government and Chinese Companies and entrepreneurs on opium substitution plantation work, guaranteeing the security of their investments, wealth and lives.
3. Myanmar is a country in which different ethnic races co-exist peacefully. Whenever conflicts and differences take place among ethnic races or among the minority and majority races, these conflicts and differences should be resolved through equality, unity and democratic negotiation. These conflicts and differences shall not be resolved by using force and forceful suppression.
4. Administrative staff for the future Wa Self-Administered Division should primarily be recruited from the local ethnic Wa population. We would like to present our view that, only in this way can the essence of self-administration for ethnic people be fulfilled and reflect the objectives of self-administration.
5. Within the framework of the State Constitution, the Wa Self-Administered Division should have the right to enjoy local legislative power and the extraction and use of earth and marine resources, minerals and metals. Similarly, we would like to present our view that we should have the right to levy local taxes, administer border checkpoints and be exempt from paying taxes to the State.
6. In conclusion, we would like to respectfully express our view that we hope the State shall make more budget allocations and investment for our Self-Administered Division in order to change the livelihood of the poor and backward local people and for the peaceful construction of infrastructure in the Wa mountainous region.
Sd. Bao You Xiang
Special Region No. 2
Friday, January 8, 2010
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