Chinese interference cited in postponement of Kachin talks
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Peace talks between the government and the Kachin Independence Organisation have been delayed till late this month because too few people showed up for talks on Saturday, a government official said.
Some members of the Kachin side’s central committee were travelling and could not attend Saturday’s talks in Kachin State’s Myitkyina town so the talks were postponed till late this month, an official from the government’s peace making committee said. The official asked not to be named.
A member of the Kachin side, however, said the talks were delayed because Chinese observers did not want observers from the United States and the United Kingdom to participate.
The Kachin side had earlier pledged to hold peace talks before April 10 after participating in talks brokered by China in the border town of Ruili last month.
Khun Jar of Kachin Peace Network blamed China for the postponement of the talks, saying the country was overstepping its role. “The task of China is to be an observer at the peace talks. China has no authority to interfere … China is a neighbour and we feel a deep sense of gratitude to China [but] Myanmar is a free and sovereign state. [Peace talks are] a national concern. If Myanmar plays to the tune of China in the Kachin conflict, how will Myanmar consider it a national issue?” Khun Jar said.
