Overview

The problems of Myanmar, especially the ethnic-related aspects, are deep-seated and quite complex. People both inside and outside the country often understand poorly the nature of Myanmar's intractable conflicts and their dynamics. Many people inside the country believe that the assumption of power by a democratically elected government will be quite sufficient to solve Myanmar's problems and that everything else will then easily follow. This is too simplistic an appraisal and ignores the country's historical experiences.

In the international community, few people are familiar with the long-standing conflicts between the successive central governments dominated by the majority ethnic group called the Bamars and the country's other minority ethnic groups. Even if they are aware of the conflicts, they tend to think that the only political solution is that the ruling military junta must relinquish power and hand it over to the political party that won the national election in 1990.

This chapter starts by reminding readers that each of the major cases of ethnic armed resistance started during Myanmar's previous period of parliamentary democracy, and that the ethnic issue has been, and continues to be, a central part of Myanmar's problematic political impasse. It reflects an inside view, outlining and analysing some of the landmarks along the recent path of peace initiatives undertaken by the Karen National Union — KNU, the Karen ethnic armed resistance group and the military junta from 1994 up until now. This chapter advocates the consolidation of the present ceasefire so that the Karen people will be able to contribute to making Myanmar free from prolonged conflict.

Introduction

Myanmar is ethnically one of the most diverse countries in the world and ever since gaining independence from the British in 1948, it has experienced a complex set of conflicts between the central government and the ethnic groups seeking either separate states or autonomous states within the Union of Myanmar.