The demands and activities of ethnic minority groups have been much in the news recently. The demands have been issued by armed ethnic groups and also by unarmed groups that are planning to form political parties. Political activism was suppressed under the junta and the change of government has enabled ethnic minorities greater freedom to speak out about their aspirations and concerns.
But the resurgence of a sectarian attitude among ethnic minority political leaders is likely to become one of the challenges for the incoming National League for Democracy government. This week I want to discuss whether the NLD can overcome this challenge.
News has emerged about the formation of a Kachin Republic Party that wants Kachin State to become an independent republic. The KRP’s provisional secretary, U Lashi Yawna, said the demand for an independent state differentiates the group from the Kachin Independence Organisation, and its armed wing, the Kachin Independence Army. He said the KIO had relinquished its original goal of establishing an independent state when negotiated a ceasefire with the government in 1994 that held until 2011. (Courtesy of Frontier Myanmar)
No comments:
Post a Comment