Suu Kyi Says Kachin War Should ‘Stop Immediately’
Aung
San Suu Kyi, second from left, walks up the steps to Burma’s Parliament
with fellow National League for Democracy MPs on Jan. 16, 2013. (Photo:
Yeni / The Irrawaddy)
NAYPYIDAW — Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, under fire for
her silence over the escalating conflict in Kachin State, said on
Wednesday that fighting between ethnic Kachin rebels and the Burmese
armed forces should “stop immediately.”
Speaking briefly to The Irrawaddy during
today’s session of the Union Parliament in Naypyidaw, the leader of the
opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) expressed concern about
recent reports of civilian casualties in the state, and called for an
end to the violence.
“I don’t like any kind of war or violence,” said the Nobel Peace Prize
laureate. “I have always said that we should negotiate amongst ourselves
so that there is no need to fight like this.”
She added: “We will only be able to avoid such conflicts if we begin to practice a culture of negotiation.”
Regarding her own role in resolving the conflict, Suu Kyi said that
despite being a member of Burma’s Parliament, she has limited power to
directly address the issue.
“I am not a member of Parliament’s Ethnic Committee. That doesn’t mean
that I don’t take responsibility for the matter or that I don’t care
about it, but different committees should respect each other and not
interfere in each other’s work,” she said.
She added, however, that Burma’s ethnic issues are not just a matter for
MPs, but can only be resolved through the efforts of all citizens,
including the country’s media.
“Mutual respect and mutual trust are the key to solving the ethnic
issues. We, as well as the government, have to ask ourselves whether we
understand the goals of the ethnic people and whether we can help them
fulfill their goals,” she said, adding that she would be willing to
assist in the peace process if she is invited by the government.
Suu Kyi also responded to a statement by British Foreign Office Minister
Alistair Burt, who said on Monday that the European Union could
reinstate its sanctions against Burma because of the ongoing conflict,
which earlier this week claimed the lives of several civilians, and has
displaced tens of thousands of others since it started a year an a half
ago.
“They were never completely lifted,” Suu Kyi said of the sanctions that
were suspended last year in recognition of the Burmese government’s
recent political and economic reforms. She added that the rest of the
world is also concerned about the toll that the conflict is taking.
Fighting intensified late last month, when the Burmese armed forces
began carrying out airstrikes against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)
near its headquarters at Laiza, on the Sino-Burmese border. After
seizing a KIA outpost near Laiza following series of aerial attacks in
the final week of December, Burmese forces began shelling the town with
heavy artillery. An attack on Monday, left three civilians dead and
several others seriously injured.
According to the latest reports on Wednesday, Burmese fighter jets were
continuing to strike a rebel-held post on Kha Rha hill, while ground
troops were attacking another post on Lim Bum hill.
source: The Irrawaddy