Embed Doc
Copy Link
Readcast
Collections

CommentGo Back

True Story of the Man behind the Peace Initiatives in MyanmarBy U Aung Khin( Researcher)Mostly audience knows and sees only performers and dancers on the stage, but they don’tknow a man who is behind the scene (curtain). But the man behind the scene is the one whofeel, create, instruct and direct the whole story for all the performers to have a wonderfulinteresting show with no flawless move in the audience’s (public) eyes. Now time comes andneed to tell the true story of the man who is behind the ceased-fire initiatives in Myanmarhistory. Who are the architectures of peacemakers to reach ceased fired agreements betweenMyanmar military government and so many ethnic armed groups mostly based China-Burmaborder areas. From the government side, many people know and gave the full credits to late-sacked prime minister Gen. Khin Nyunt, but who is the main and key players in the ethnicgroups most of them just broke away from the Communist Party of Burma-CPB. There are somany stories and rumors; and some people also wanted to pretend or get credits like a peaceinitiators. Before talking details about how the ethnic armed splinter groups reached theceased fire agreements with the military government after they revolted against centralcontrol power of the CPB militarily and politically.The Kyu Hkok-Panghsai battle was very severe fighting between the military governmentand the CPB army. It took almost a year long fierce fighting and losing so many lives fromsides as well as innocent civilians and local villagers. The fighting started on Oct-Nov-1987and ended in June 1988. In that fierce and deadly fighting, U Kyaw Myint was one of thecommanders of CPB and who led and command his CPB battalion in the Mong Koe region innorthern Shan State in Myanmar.U Kyaw Myint involved in the freedom movement in 1968 as a teenager to fight and toprotect freedom, peace and equality for ethnic minorities in Myanmar from the socialistdictator regime who ruled the country with a iron fist since in 1962 after Gen. Ne Winbrutally staged a military coup and crackdown the democratic government. Later U KyawMyint joined the Communist Party of Burma-CPB and worked in information and publicrelation department to organize the local people to fight for their own freedom and their ownrights. As a local young talent party organizer with so many language skills, U Kyaw Myintgot the attention from his superiors for his loyalty, energy, working hard and leadership skillsthese are beginning days of U Kyaw Myint’s long walk to the current leadership status whichhe got and reached not because of luck or chance, it is result and outcome of his commitment,devoted and hardworking. U Kyaw Myint is deserved his leader position as he worked andearned to get this level. In these days, there are only a few leaders in Myanmar like U KyawMyint who has diverse experiences from politic to military to economic knowledge’s andskills. U Kyaw Myint is not idealistic and dreamer, he is very practical and real person whoshowed and had a solid result on his life. No matter how it hard or bad, at the end, U Kyaw

Myint overcome the hardship and won and controlled the situations. He had so many time lifethreatening situations, but he did not scare or being afraid, rather than face the challenge faceto face. This is real man who mostly stayed quiet and silent and less talking in public.Commander U Kyaw Myint saw so many people died and lost their lives including theirproperties and assets, but did not see any result for many years fighting and started thinkingto find out another way what can be done to avoid catastrophes. Same time he had sentimentsand distrust on the leadership of CPB with not realistic and practical approach to solved theMyanmar’s civil war which is started since independent is granted in 1948.U Kyaw Myint had disagreement with his superiors from of the BCP political wing andstarted regrouping his troops in the region. The problem between U Kyaw Myint and the CPBCentral spouted in May 1988. The CPB issued death sentence to U Kyaw Myint for his coupand openly disobey the central command of the CPB, but in September 1988, U Kyaw Myintsuccessfully gained and controlled the Mong Koe region as an independent militia group. TheCPB’s total control on Mong Koe region was ended after the central committee member andthe representative of the CPB PoliBureau, U Ba Than, from CPB's northern command wasarrested and forced to leave from the area. Era of CPB’s military power started sun-set.As a newly established military group, some many challenges and difficulties from all sidescame onto U Kyaw Myint’s head who was dealing and fighting with two front wars: one isCPB troops who want to catch him dead or alive and other was the government troops. Sametime some junior commanders in his troops wanted to challenge his revolt when the troopshad facing the shortage of supplies, foods, medicine and ammunitions. U Kyaw Myintconsidered to switch a very dangerous and uncertain move to solve the tremendouschallenges facing his troops. He needed to find some temporary solutions to feed his troopsand to control his troop properly. So he wanted to end the war with the government to hold hibreath and tried to find friends in enemy’s side. He made a bore move and decision to stopfighting with government and to get at least temporary ceased fire with the government. Thatis how the first ceased fire agreement was initiative and rooted in May 1989. After so manymonth negotiation and dialogue between U Kyaw Myint’s Mong Koe group and thenintelligent chief, Gen. Khin Nyunt, the final settlement and peace agreement officially signedbetween two sides in September 1989.This event was the first ceased fire agreement signed and reached between the militarygovernment and the broke-way groups from the CPB. U Kyaw Myint was the firstcommander of the CPB who opposed and revolted against the CPB. It will not be overstatedif U Kyaw Myint was the person who initiated and triggered the bottom to collapse the CPBtotally who can resist and fought militarily against the central government for many decades.The first peace door was opened and Gen. Khin Nyunt also found a common ground with U

Kyaw Myint to get expand his peace missions among the ex-CBP army commanders whowere friends and colleagues of U Kyaw Myint.That time, no one dared to resist the CPB's authority and power in the CPB even the ceasedfire leaders knew if they failed what price they have to pay-life. U Kyaw Myint put his life inrisk and started and changed with believe in himself and his commanders Burma’srevolutionary scene forever After reaching a ceased fire groups, U Kyaw Myint wasapproaching, persuading and encouraging his fellow commanders in the CPB to against theCPB and to stand for themselves and to fight and protect their own people under theirleaderships. These missions are not easy and not smooth to getting in touch with other CPBcommanders in different military division in eastern and northern Burma region where thereis not transportation and communication system established. Meanwhile the CPB orderedtheir troop to arrest and kill him wherever they saw or found. Under the darkness of thesituations, U Kyaw Myint can reach out and gained the trusts among his once colleagues of CPB army commanders.After the Mong Koe group, the second group was Ko Kang brothers as U Kyaw Myint andPeng Jiafu, brother of Ko Kang leader Pheung Kya-Shin (Peng Jiasheng), secretlycommunicated and arranged to get the ceased fire agreement with the authorities. March 12,1989, mutiny break out in Kokang area and Kokang mutineers capture the CPB’s NorthernBureau headquarters at Mong Koe in two days later. Then U Kyaw Myint was able to reachand get in touch with Chao Ngi Lai, a commander of CPB’s 2

battalion in Wa region.Finally Wa groups also separated from the CPB and joined the ceased fire clubs as hispioneers. On April 17, 1989, Wa troops capture the CPB’s Panghsang headquarters, endingforty-one-year long Communist insurgency in Burma. In early of December 1989, ZahkungTing Ying, commander of CPB’s 101 War Zone in Kachin State, followed the steps as hisfellow CPB commanders. Now clear who started the end game of the BCP military powerwhich even the government troops could not fight over many decades.That was how the ceased fire agreements have been reached and so many people are involvedbehind the scene. U Kyaw Myint was one of the key players to make happened. U KyawMyint had great respect and admire among his colleagues- commander as they got thetraining together, live and sleep together, and fought together as military commanders of theCPB, but they were kids for the CPB Polibureau, especially in the party side.Once they are just junior commanders of the CPB, but after breaking away from their motherparty-CPB, all the military groups needed to restructure, reorganize and reformat their chainof command including the civilian administration in the areas they controlled. To besustainable, they have to plan and manage the business and economic projects in theircontrolled areas even they received rations from the government.