_ By Sao Yawd Serk

1. The Union of Burma was founded from the political cooperation of the Shan, Kachin, Chin, and Burmese leaders. It was liberated from Britain not because of Gen. Aung San’s one man work but because of the cooperation from the leaders of Shan, Kachin, Chin states and Burma Proper.
2. Gen. Aung San arrived in Panglong Township, Southern Shan State on February 9, 1947 to attend the Panglong Conference with the ethnic leaders. And on February 12, 1947, the concerned parties agreed to establish the federal of Burma under the Panglong Agreement. The result from the agreement led to Burma’s independence on Jan uary 4, 1948. Therefore, if there was no Shan State and no Panglong Agreement, the Union of Burma would not exist.
3. As the Burmese politicians had ill-intentions to Shan, Kachin, Chin states, Gen. Aung San was assassinated by its own people. Some think that Gen. Aung San was killed because he had signed the Panglong Agreement with the ethnic leaders. After Gen. Aung San was killed, Sao Shwe Thaike, Prince of Yawnghwe, was elected to be the first president of Burma who has no real power. However, he later was put in jail and died in prison. Moreover, Prince of Hsipaw, Sao Kya Hseng was arrested and tortured to death and his burial still unfounded.
4. In 1949, the Kuomintang (KMT) led by Chiang Kai Shek was defeated by Mao Ze Dong’s red army. The KMT fled into Shan State from China. As a consequence, in 1950, Gen. Ne Win sent the Burmese Army into Shan State in the pretext of protecting the Shan State and fending off the KMT. But in contrast, the Burmese government held a secret meeting with KMT leaders by letting the KMT troops continued to be based inside Shan State .
5. Some of the KMT troops managed to cross into Thailand and some were left inside Shan State. The ones, who were left inside Shan State, started to encourage the local people to grow opium. Again, in 1952, the Burmese Army and KMT cooperated in drug trafficking and setting up the heroin laboratories. Since then, heroin laboratories started to exist inside Shan State. The Burmese Army carried the heroin from KMT and it had one heroin store-house in Mandalay. The point is that the Burmese Army did not even fight against the KMT but cooperated with the KMT in the drug trafficking business.
6. Political instability and conflicts continued in Burma, as the Burmese military government was not sincere and fair in solving the political conflicts by peaceful means. There were several peace calls from the ethnic leaders in an efforts to solve the political conflicts by the peaceful means. But It is a sad thing that all the peaceful calls were rejected by the Burmese regime. The result is that the population suffers more. When the peaceful choice was not left for the people, they had to arm themselves in self-defense and to protect their territories from the advancing Burmese troops.
7. The Burmese regime blocks the media information. The neighbouring countries and international communities do not know what is really going on inside Burma and what are the causes of conflicts.
8. In brief, there are 4 main problems in Burma:
   1. The regime did not shift state power back to the people after the 1962 military coup. People have lost their freedom.
   2. The Burmese military destroyed the 1947 Constitution, did not keep its obligation and promises.
   3. Using military power for repressing the population.
   4. The increasing narcotic-drug problem.
9. However, if the Burmese junta is sincere and fair enough to solve the problem, it has to acknowledge the cause of the problems as mentioned above and take actions as follow:
   1. Recognize and fulfil the 1947 Panglong Agreement.
   2. Allow the people to participate in drafting the constitution independently.
   3. Allow the ethnic states to have their own administration
   4. To re-elect the central government which the state governments are satisfied with. Also the Burmese military has to withdraw its troops from the ethnic states, and then the problems could be solved.
10. In the case of narcotic-drug problem, if the Shan State people have its own administrative and governance, it could definitely be solved. The cause of the increasing and doubling the drug problems inside Burma is because the Burmese government is not sincere in solving it but cooperating with the drug trafficking armed groups. The Burmese government has used the drug as a political tool to suppress and accuses the opposition groups, especially the Shan State patriots who do not agree with them. At the same time, it has misused funds from the international community and buying weapons in order to wipe out its opposition groups.
11. The Burmese military has been in power and governed the country for almost 44 years and it has made the people poorer than ever. It has used the “federalism” in name but practically it is a dictatorship administration. If the regime continues to hold on to power, people will suffer more, it could have a big impact on the Asian countries and the world in terms of peace and economic progressiveness.

The people of Burma have lost its rights for more than 50 years. And it is not the first time that the people had experienced human rights abuses but also during the World Wars period as well. However, this time, people have faced the worst human rights abuses by the Burmese regime.

Therefore, we strongly would like to appeal to the United Nations and the neighbouring countries, to study the cause of the conflicts in Burma and to sympathize on the suffering people from Burma.

Yawd Serk
Chairperson
Restoration Council of the Shan State.
November 12, 2006