Rights Central to national peace in Myanmar

January 24, 2012: Since an outbreak of fighting between government troops and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Myanmar shattered a 17-year-old ceasefire agreement in June last year, tens of thousands of villagers in the ethnic region have been forced to flee their homes and seek shelter in makeshift camps near the country’s border with China.
Church organizations have done what they could to provide for refugees but lack funds and supplies to make substantial contributions.
Myanmar’s industry minister, Aung Thaung, headed a peace delegation last week that met with KIA representatives in the Chinese border town of Ruili, where the two sides discussed a halt to hostilities and the requirements for a durable peace.
While many have acknowledged that reform efforts have borne some fruit, doubts remain about the government’s sincerity. The ethnic issue in Myanmar is central to the resolution of all socio-political issues.
There can be no winners in the fighting in Kachin state. As long as hostilities continue to shatter the lives of residents across the region, and as long as fear and mistrust of the government remain, then the nation will be the loser.