Shan meet vows to protect non-Shan rights

Shan Herald Agency for News
January 22, 2008

A three-day conference of Shans, the largest non-Burman ethnic group in strife-torn Burma, that ended yesterday at an undisclosed location on the Thai-Burma border has promised to work closely with non-Shans in Shan State and protect their rights.

“It is in the interests of Shans to serve their needs,” said Peunkham Payakwong, a Tai Leu from Kengtung who was elected by a majority vote (78%) by the 59-conference participants. “Burma’s bitter experience has shown us Shans will not benefit by emulating the Burman dictators.”

The Shans, according to British censuses conducted in 1931 and 1941, stand at about 50% of the total population of Shan State, at present 5.2 million, according to the military government’s statistics. (Junta counting, since 1962, has always tended to understate the Shan population, while rebel estimates understandably have appeared to overstate it – Editor)

By contrast, 60% of Burma’s population are Burmans and the rest non-Burmans, according to a recent brochure published by the anti-junta Ethnic Nationalities Council (ENC).

The Shan conference, apart from protection of minority rights, agreed upon 4 other guiding principles:

• To strive for a state-based alliance,
• democracy,
• equality and
• political settlement to political issues.

It also elected a 21-member Tai Coordination Committee (TCC), 7 from inside Shan State and 14 from outside. Prominent members include women activists from Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN): Hseng Noung and Ying Zarm.

Meanwhile, the Shan State Army (SSA) South of Col Yawdserk had sent 4 officers to attend the meeting as observers. Its rather cautious policy was the subject of heated discussions on the sidelines. “It’s time to pursue a bold policy when it comes to anti-junta alliances,” commented a Thai observer who attended the post-conference dinner party. “Spinelessness will only prolong the sufferings of the people.”

The TCC, according to one of the conference resolutions, will participate in the Shan State Nationalities Conference, to be held jointly with representatives from non-Shan movements such as PaO, Palaung, Wa, Kachin and Lahu later this year. The projected meeting is expected to culminate in the formation of a long anticipated Shan State coalition.

For more details, please contact
Peunkham Tel: 661 784-6290 and
Hseng Noung Tel: 661 884-4963