Open letter from DKBA ‘begs for forgiveness’
by Daniel Pedersen on Jul.04, 2009, under Burma reportage, Northern Thailand, The Karen
Senior commander allegedly expresses sorrow, claims militia duped by Burma’s military junta
Mae Sot, ThailandJuly 5, 2009
Karen village destroyed by DKBA and Burma Army - Photo: FBR
An open letter of sorrow and regret allegedly from a senior commander of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army is being circulated in Mae La refugee camp.
The letter, supposedly from Myaing Gyi Ngu and dated June 17, 2009, begs for forgiveness and understanding and issues a nation-wide apology to the Karen people.
It says the DKBA has been duped by the generals of Burma’s ruling military junta and its foot soldiers are now asking: “How can we say we support the four principles of Saw Ba U Gyi and fight for the Burma Army at the same time?”
Myaing Gyi Ngu says the DKBA leadership had no answer to this question for its soldiers.
He said the Burmese created the DKBA as a “religious army” and that should never have happened and constituted a “black spot in our Karen history”.
He goes further to say that what he is most ashamed of – working on the rationale that the DKBA is indeed a religious army – that it was unable to do anything to protect monks during the wholesale slaughter of September 2007.
While Myaing Gyi Ngo's lament may strike a chord with many Karen, the reality on the ground is that armed soldiers must still protect civilians from marauding DKBA troops. Here a Thai soldier makes his way to Mae U Su emergency camp last week.
“All people of Burma in the whole world were raising questions to us that why the DKBA, who were supposed to be for religion, couldn’t do anything to protect the religion and the monks?”
He said at the time the DKBA dared not show their faces and hid at home because they were supposed to be “for religion and the Karen people”.
But, putting aside even being “for Karen people” the DKBA “couldn’t even do anything to protect religion and monks while the Burmese Army was shooting them and killing them”.
He said the DKBA was even ordered to kill monks “if necessary”.
Myaing Gyi Ngu said he now knew why Mannerplaw (the former Karen National Union headquarters and stronghold lost in 1995) fell so easily.
“Later as I considered it, the KNU didn’t fight us because we are Karen; the fact is Karen didn’t want to kill Karen,” he wrote.
He said the DKBA was promised an independent state within a year of Mannerplaw falling.
“After that [promise] we, the DKBA, were conceited and proud of ourselves.”
But he said the promise was not fulfilled and instead DKBA leaders were given business opportunities and within Karen State it seemed like “we had the right to do whatever we wanted”.
As a result of this, he wrote, the Karen people learned about “gambling, began to use drugs and ran up debts of millions”.
He said much of the DKBA’s involvement in drug trafficking occurred under General Khin Nyunt (the former prime minister removed for corruption in 2004).
But he wrote the offer of becoming a border patrol force was a bitter pill to swallow and presented an excruciating choice for DKBA leaders.
He said what happened during Khin Nyunt’s time was well documented in the ruling generals’ intelligence files, with lists of names and activities.
So the DKBA had a choice: accept what the generals were offering or run.
He said the DKBA leaders were in big trouble.
“I am old. I am begging and apologise [but please] understand and forgive me.
The letter ended: “May the KNU and the Karen Liberating revolution have victory.”
Financial Times Burmese elite enjoy times of plenty
ENDS
9 Comments for this entry
Leave a Reply
"Secret Genocide is a scholarly book on the plight of the Karen of Burma. Author Daniel Pedersen writes about the secret genocide of the Karen people at the hands of the Burmese junta, who use murder, rape, forced labour and torture to quell their enemies. Decades after the Karen took up arms against Rangoon; there is no telling when - or if - their struggle for a secure homeland will finally be accomplished"
Read and add comments at the book's blog
Secret Genocide by publisher Maverick House. >>> Read prologue.
July 5th, 2009 on 1:08 p
That’s one convincing mea culpa. What becomes of Myaing Gyi Ngu? Will other members of the DKBA dare to follow in his footsteps?
July 7th, 2009 on 6:09 p
DKBA meeting with UN chief ‘scripted’ by junta
uly 7, 2009 (DVB)–An official from a Burmese pro-junta militia who met with UN chief Ban Ki-moon last week said the meeting was orchestrated by the government, who scripted all questions put to the Secretary General.
Representatives from seven pro-government ceasefire groups, including the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), met with Ban Ki-moon in the capital Naypyidaw during his trip to Burma last weekend.
http://www.dvb.no/english/news.php?id=2689
July 7th, 2009 on 6:12 p
Update: TBBC & UNHCR Border Map & Populations (June 2009)
http://www.tbbc.org/camps/2009-06-jun-map-tbbc-unhcr.pdf
or scribd http://democracyforburma.wordpress.com/2009/07/07/06jul09-update-tbbc-unhcr-border-map-populations-june-2009/
July 8th, 2009 on 2:12 p
Statement of the Australian Karen Organisation in response to the Press Release of Myanmar Foreign Ministry 7 July 2009 by KNL Japan
http://democracyforburma.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/statement-of-the-australian-karen-organisation-in-response-to-the-press-release-of-myanmar-foreign-ministry-7-july-2009/
July 9th, 2009 on 4:24 p
KNLA 7th Brigade loses a quarter of its territory
http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/2427-knla-7th-brigade-loses-a-quarter-of-its-territory-.html
July 10th, 2009 on 1:26 p
KNU capture KPF Lieutenant Colonel and base
A senior military leader of a Karen splinter group, was captured by forces from the largest Karen insurgent group that has continued fighting against the Burmese government.
On July 8, Karen Peace Force (KPF) battalion No. 3 commander, Lieutenant Colonel Saw Lay War, was capture, along with 3 KPF soldiers, by Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) forces yesterday at 2 pm near Zami river, Kyainnseikyi township, according to a source from the Karen National Union (KNU).
http://www.monnews-imna.com/newsupdate.php?ID=1473
July 10th, 2009 on 2:50 p
Crossing Midnight trailer
This film is part of IDA’s DocuWeeks ‘09.
“Crossing Midnight” tells the story of a remarkable community of refugees from Burma working against incredible odds to help their own. During the violent crackdown of the 1988 student uprising, Dr. Cynthia Maung and a group of fellow students fled to the border of Thailand. There, with virtually nothing in hand, they created the Mae Tao Clinic in a one-room barn. Today, in the midst of an unparalleled healthcare crisis, the clinic has grown into a community of over 500 healthcare workers, a school for refugee children and a dedicated group of cross-border backpack medics.
http://democracyforburma.wordpress.com/2009/07/10/crossing-midnight-trailer/
July 10th, 2009 on 3:00 p
The Junta Hit Men
Col Chit Thu, the commander of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) Battalion 999 is now believed to be the most powerful man in the DKBA administration.
According to Karen sources on the border, he ordered the week-long offensive against the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) Brigade 7 that ended on 21 June, and he has ordered his forces to move against KNLA Brigades 6 and 5.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=16297
July 10th, 2009 on 9:17 p
NEITHER WAR NOR PEACE
THE FUTURE OF THE CEASE-FIRE
AGREEMENTS IN BURMA by Transnational Institute
http://www.tni.org/reports/drugs/ceasefire.pdf?
or on scribd http://democracyforburma.wordpress.com/2009/07/10/neither-war-nor-peace-the-future-of-the-cease-fire-agreements-in-burma/