A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Wednesday, May 17, 2017
China in Burma
( May 13, 2017, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) It
is well known that three main objectives of the government of Myanmar
led by Councillor Aung San Suu Kyi are ethnic reconciliation, economic
development and constitutional changes. Of these, the first objective of
ethnic reconciliation has the top most priority and dearly held by Suu
Kyi in memory of her father Gen Aung San who was responsible in making a
beginning for ethnic reconciliation with the Panglong Agreement in the
year 1947.
The second session of the new twenty first Century Panglong Conference
after many postponements is due to begin on May 24, 2017 at Naypyidaw.
It is in this connection that the recent developments in Myanmar are of
importance and the China factor looms large. Suu Kyi is due to visit
Beijing soon in June in connection with the One Belt One Road conference
and these problems would be bearing heavily in her mind in dealing with
the Chinese.
Ethnic War in the North East Near China Border:
Seven ethnic Armed Oganizations in defiance of the government’s call for
a nation wide ceasefire agreement, met at Pangshang, the strong hold of
the UWSA and formed an independent political negotiation committee to
represent them for talks with the government to seek a “new approach for
the political dialogue’. It rejected the path laid down by the
government with a Nation Wide Ceasefire Agreement to begin with. The
political leadership of the negotiating committee is to be held by the
UWSA Chairman Bao Youxiang, an ethnic Chinese.
The constituents of the new groups are, first the leader- the Wa group-
the UWSA that is close to the Chinese and armed by the Chinese, with the
second largest ethnic insurgent group, the KIO, and the SSPP/SSA-N (
Shan State Progress party/Shan State Army North).
Four other groups of lesser importance but very active and fighting on
the Chinese border with the Tatmadaw, are TNLA (Ta’ang National
Liberation Army), the NDAA (National Democratic Alliance Army- the
Mongla group), the MNDAA (Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army -the
Kokang groups) and the AA- (Arakan Army).
It is reported that the KIA has followed it up by leaving the UNFC
(United National Federation Council) which is still involved with peace
talks with the government. Thus the KIA appears to have finally given up
the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement route and aligned itself with the WA
group totally which should be considered as a significant development.
This would also mean that the KIA would now be indirectly controlled by
the UWSA and thus in turn by China. It is to be noted, that in the
ongoing conflict between the KIA and the Burmese Army, the longer it
continues, the greater will be the chances of the KIA being completely
dependent on the WA group for sustenance!
With the peace conference scheduled to take place very soon, it not
surprising that forces are at work to sabotage the conference. Fighting
has escalated in the last two weeks between the Burmese Army- the
Tatmadaw and the Northern Alliance. There are daily clashes and the
Burmese Army are said to be using artillery. The northern Alliance that
consists of KIA, MNDAA, TNLA and the AA claim that the offensive of the
Burmese Army was more to diminish the Suu Kyi’s leadership of the Second
Panglong Conference.
The ability to resist by the Northern Alliance the so called offensive
of the Burmese Army would very much depend on the support the groups get
in terms of equipment and space on UWSA which in turn would depend on
the Chinese. Would it be then correct to say that the Chinese are aware
of the ensuing diminution of the influence and authority of Suu Kyi in
the event of a failure of the second Panglong Conference? If so are they
in a position to persuade the groups to join the peace talks and not
call for a separate peace and political dialogue and thus scuttle the
nation wide peace agreement and the dialogue that is to follow?
Kyaukphyu port and Myitsone Dam:
A Reuter report indicates that China is seriously pushing Myanmar to
give it an 85 percent stake in a strategically important sea port at
Kyaukphyu port. The development of the port is said to be an important
component of the One Belt One Road venture of the Chinese. The proposed
Chinese stake claimed by China’s CITIC group more than 50/50 joint
venture offered by the Burmese government and rejected by the company.
Well placed sources have told Reuters in April that China would be
willing to abandon the claim on the unfinished controversial Myitsone
dam and would in return expect concessions that would include the
Kyakphyu port.
Allowing the Chinese 85 percent of the stake would result in Chinese
taking total control of the port and this is not likely to be acceptable
to the local people. The reasons given for local opposition would
include the failure to involve the local community in any meaningful
participation, income, loss of land and access to neighbourhood. In the
proposed special economic zone proposed by China another 20,000 people
are at a risk of losing their homes and livelihoods just as it happened
in Myitsone Dam.
The protests that are likely to follow in giving the overall control of
the project would be similar to an unfair deal that is being made out at
Hambantota port where the Sri Lankan Government is proposing to give up
80 percent of equity valued at 1.08 billion in view of debt to the
China Merchant Holdings Groups (CMHG), a fully owned Chinese Government
Organisation!
What is seen in Myanmar is the pervasive predatory moves by China to
control effectively the ethnic insurgency and economic development.
It is said that the One Belt One Road initiative with investments of
over 57 billion US Dollars including the development of Gwadar port is
going to cost heavily to Pakistan at the time of return of the loans.
While Pakistan has already become a colony of China, it remains to be
seen whether a proud nation like Myanmar will fall into such debt traps.