Shan State conflicts worry political parties
TAUNGGYI - Political parties are concerned about the recent conflicts in Shan State, saying they may interfere with the upcoming election.
Government troops clashed with the Ta’ang Liberation Army in Kutkai Township on September 11, sources say. Other sources say fighting between the government army and Shan militants on September 7 and 8 produced several casualties.
“[The conflict] can damage the election and harm voters. This should not happen. All armed groups need to make peace if they all want the country to be stable during the election period. The fighting may have been instigated by one side,” said Tin Maung Toe, NLD chairman for Taunggyi district.
“It is like [the warring parties] are forcing us to have an unfair election. They say they are making peace and negotiating a ceasefire plan. The army is fighting with Palaung rebels while negotiating with Rakhine, Kokang and Wa. The government said they will only accept 15 ethnic armed groups in the peace talks. They seem not to really seek national reconciliation. We suspected that the government would avoid a fair election, and now they are doing it deliberately,” said Sai Leik of the Shan Nationalities Democracy Party.
“If political situation is unstable, it will damage the election. If there is conflict, it will lead to instability. For instance, if sectarian violence occurs, it will hinder the election. The election commission needs to decide whether they should hold election in conflict areas or not. The places where the election is held must be stable,” said Khun Myint Tun, chairman of the Pao National Liberation Organisation.
On Tuesday, nine embassies in Myanmar Tuesday issued a statement calling for tolerance ahead of the election.
In the statement, they said: "As the campaign in Myanmar officially begins, however, we, as international partners invested in the success of this country and these elections, are concerned about the prospect of religion being used as a tool of division and conflict during the campaign season."
Citing the history of division and civil conflict in Myanmar, they call on all stakeholders - the government, the Union Election Commission, political parties, civic and religious leaders, and citizens alike - to promote a spirit of tolerance, mutual respect, and equality under the law to ensure the elections are peaceful and inclusive.
"We call for all election rules and regulations to be applied fairly, consistently, and transparently without regard to ethnicity, religion, or political party."
They also affirmed the commitment to support Myanmar and its people during the current election season. The joint statement was issued by the Embassies of Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Norway, Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
