Nerdah Bo Mya is a Major
General and the Chief of Staff of the Karen National Defence
Organization (KNDO), which was founded in 1947 to protect the Karen
people and territory, and is under its mother organisation Karen
National Union (KNU). Nerdah Bo Mya, 48, was born near Manerplaw—the former headquarters of the KNU as well as other ethnic nationalities and the pro–democracy movement—as
the son of the late General Bo Mya who was the President of the KNU
from 1976 to 2000. After being educated in Thailand and in the US, where
Nerdah Bo Mya spent six years studying a Liberal Arts degree at a
university in California, the young graduate turned away from a future
in the US and soon returned to the Thailand-Burma border. For over 20
years, he has fought for “freedom, democracy, and humanity,” against
what is undoubtedly one of the most brutal military regimes in the
world. This dedicated and empathetic “rebel” leader emphasizes that it
is not just the Karen people but a whole nation of 60 million people who
are still suffering and need to be freed. Although the international
community has enjoyed what some call a honeymoon with the Burmese
government since the country started opening up in 2011, according to
Nerdah Bo Mya, the government is still not showing signs of sincerity in
peace talks nor genuine willingness to change. “The government is
playing the game,” he says, and the international community too often
indirectly participating in ongoing atrocities. In this exclusive
interview with Burma Link, Nerdah Bo Mya talks about the struggle, the
current state of the ceasefire and the peace process, the role of the
international community, and how to build a prosperous Burma for the
future generations.
Q: Why did you join the KNDO and the Karen struggle?
I joined the Karen struggle because I want my people to be free. I want democracy, and also, we are fighting, struggling for our Karen identity, and self-determination.
Q: How would you describe the current situation in Karen areas?
The current situation right now, it’s
quiet. It’s been quiet for two and a half years already, close to three
years. But at the same time, human rights violations are still going on.
It’s been quiet because we signed the, we call the ceasefire
negotiations, with the Burmese government. But, the reason why we’re
having ceasefire negotiations with the government is first of all we
want to stop fighting, and then after [we] stop fighting then we will
have political discussion. After political discussion, if we will come
to like a mutual agreement, after that hopefully we will have peace in
Burma.
Q: The KNU signed the preliminary ceasefire with the government in January 2012. How has that ceasefire benefited the Karen people or the Karen struggle?
When you look at everything on the
surface, it seems like everything is OK, because it’s quiet. But at the
same time the Burmese [military] are taking advantage of the situation,
and they’re moving their troops in and sending supplies, and rebuilding
their outposts, in our territories. So on the other hand, what they
really want is to occupy our territories, and what we want is, we want
to preserve our identity. So we are going opposite ways.
Q: Where is the peace process now?
I think with this government, it’s not
easy, because their strategy is totally different. Their strategy is to
wipe out all the ethnic groups, and to call all the ethnic groups to
stay under them, to renounce their [ethnic] armed troops. But they [the
government] try to manipulate and strategise and play the game, so that
people will misunderstand the whole process. But deep down inside, they
have no heart for negotiations for peace process, for peace
negotiations, so called peace negotiations.
I want to tell the people that the
ceasefire situation right now is useless. We cannot trust the
government, the government is not sincere for peace talks. They just
want to lie to get money, get rid of all the ethnic groups, committing
more crimes, committing genocide against the ethnic people. That’s all
they want. The mentality is that they don’t change, they just take out
their uniforms and inside the same thing. They, you know, they’re not
changing at all. Actually, they’re just playing the game. I want to also
warn the international community that if they want to invest in Burma
they have to talk and listen to many sides before they invest or put
money into business in Burma. Otherwise they’re just indirectly killing
innocent people. Because the Burmese government is a murderer.
Q: The Nationwide Ceasefire
Coordination Team (NCCT), which represents 16 ethnic armed groups, and
the government’s Union Peacemaking Working Committee (UWPC) agreed on
the draft Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) on March 31st. What is
your view on this? Is this a significant step towards nationwide
ceasefire?
NCCT and UPWC agreed on the draft NCA,
but is not working. It is just a political game. Who wants this? The
Burmese government wants this so badly just to show to the world that
there is peace in Burma. In reality the Burmese government wants us to
surrender. Ceasefire with military regime is meaningless. Nothing will
be productive under this government.
Q: Do you think the government is willing to discuss the political goals of the Karen and the other ethnic people?
No I don’t think so. The government is
playing the game, and trying to manipulate the Karen people and trying
to use different groups. In the old days they used to divide and rule,
divide and conquer. They’re still using that these days. And then, I
don’t think they’re sincere for peace negotiations anyway.
Q: How do you see the current conflict situation in northern Burma? Is it related to the Karen struggle?
It’s related to the Karen struggle
because under this military regime we’re all facing the same situation.
All the ethnic groups they want to preserve their identities, because
they have their own history, they want to preserve it. They want to
preserve their culture. And it has been forbidden by the government,
[for] many many years. That’s why [there is] the conflict, we still have
this kind of conflict, and fighting, between the Burmese government and
the ethnic groups.
Q: Much of the ethnic armed opposition is united under the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), which suffered a severe blow when the KNU temporarily suspended their membership in August 2014. What is your view on this? Do you think the ethnic groups should fight as one united front?
I don’t really agree on that one [KNU
suspending the UNFC membership], because one way or another we have to
rely on each other, because we are on the same boat fighting, trying to
achieve the same goal and same objective.
We are trying [for unity], we’re trying
hard so that we can cooperate and fight, unitedly, at the same time. But
also we are facing some difficulties because people have different
points of view, but we’re working very hard so that we can, hopefully
not too long, we can come to a point where we can all agree and we can
work together closely.
Q: There was one recent attempt towards closer cooperation between the Karen groups with the formation of the Kawthoolei Armed Forces (KAF). What is the current status of the KAF?
Kawthoolei Armed Forces is to unite all
the Karen armed groups to stay under one administration, under one
umbrella. It means under Kawthoolei Armed Forces we have DKBA
(Democratic Karen Benevolent Army), we have [KNU-KNLA] Peace Council, we
have KNLA, we have KNDO. Even though they have different badges, but
[they] must be under one umbrella administration. And this is what we’re
trying to do.
Whether you are DKBA, people can call
Kawthoolei Army, KNLA Kawthoolei Army, because our country is called
Kawthoolei. The armed forces should be called Kawthoolei Army. So they
all agreed on this. So we realised that OK if all the groups agree on
this, then we can, it will be much easier for us to put them under one
umbrella and one administration. One constitution, so that we have only
one army in the Karen State, protecting the Karen territory.
Q: In January 2013 the KNU signed Geneva Call’s Deed of Commitment to protect civilians in conflict. Why was it signed and what does it mean to the KNU?
We want to make a better change for our
nation, so we have to show example to the Burmese government before they
sign it. So, we signed it, even though we are struggling for peace and
democracy, and they [the Burmese military] outnumber us. Actually we
should use up all our strength that we have so that we can counter their
military offensive, but on the other hand we want to show them that we
are human beings, you know, ‘you cannot really use women and children
and people under aged to fight with us, so even though you don’t sign,
we sign it.’ So that now we only have voluntary soldiers, and all of
them over 18.
Q: How can the international community help the Karen people and the struggle?
The international community, about the
struggle in Burma, they have to be participate into it, because it’s not
a struggle about freedom only, but for democracy, humanity, and 60
million people need to be freed. Not only ethnic [nationalities]
struggle for ethnic rights, we’re talking about 60 million people,
they’re human beings, they shouldn’t be under this kind of government.
This brutal government is not really thinking about the people and
they’re not supporting the people. They shouldn’t be running the
country.
International community should realise
that they [the government] should respect the rights of human beings,
rights of the Burmese people. When they invest without talking with the
people, it means they’re violating human rights. So they have to, before
they invest, make sure people in Burma have the rights of freedom of
expression, freedom to live as a human being, and free from all kinds of
atrocities. And then they can invest. But first of all you can’t really
invest and deal with a few people, you know, exchanging benefits and
forget about 60 million people.
Q: What would you like to say to the Burmese military?
I want to tell them that now we’re
living in the same situation, we’re living in the same country. And we
cannot really hate each other, trying to eliminate one another. We
should work together, we should think about the future of Burma… They
[the government] should be more open-minded and think about the future,
think about the coming up generations, how are they going to run the
country.
And so [it is] time for us to reconsider
what we have in our minds, and what [will be] the future of Burma, and
how can we live, how can we work together, how can we develop our
country, how can we prosper together. They have to think positively
rather than try to dominate and control and kill people and they think
that they can use force to win and to gain victory.
Q: What would you like to say to the people of Burma?
We’re very strong in our determination.
We’re not tired of struggling for freedom for 60 million people. People
should realise that preserving our culture is very valuable and people
need to have mutual respect towards one another and love one another,
care for one another. And this is where we can build a peaceful Burma,
and prosperous Burma in the future. Because I’ve been fighting the
Burmese regime for 20 years already, but I fight because I love my
people. Not because I hate the Burmese people. I realise that this is
not an appropriate thing, for only a handful of people trying to control
60 million people, and they’re holding [onto] their power there. I want
them to be out and the people will be free. This is want I want,
democratic Burma, federation Burma, freedom for Burma.
Q: What is your vision for Burma in the future?
In the future, I think that this
government cannot go on for long. One way or another they have to let it
go. But through bloodshed or through peaceful means, we have to, we
will see. But they cannot go on this way, people cannot stand it. When
you have nothing, nowhere to go, then you will stand up and fight for
your rights.
We need a free democratic government.
And where our people can enjoy equality, equal rights, and enjoy the
basic value of being a human being, [and having] human rights.
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