Myanmar gains in leader's death

Seng Yang/Febuary 15,2008/3.42pm/Human Rights

Myanmar gains in leader's death

Mahn Sha La Pan, the 64-year-old general secretary of the Karen National Union (KNU) rebel group was killed on Thursday in an assassination in the Thai-Myanmar border town of Mae Sot. They say two assassins who entered his house and shot him in the head with pistols killed him. This has especially had an affect on Myanmar’s fight for democracy. The junta military may have done this.

Another member of the Peace Council, spokesperson Maung Kyaw, has been missing for several days and thought by many to have been killed also. “The one person who could have served as a unifying agent for both the Karen and the political opposition was likely assassinated by his own people in the cause of furthering disunity.”

The KNU now faces the difficult task of filling his leadership shoes, just over one year since the December 2006 death of former charismatic KNU leader Bo Mya.

While it is unlikely that Mahn Sha was killed on the direct orders of the military regime, it is certainly to their benefit. He was known to be a tough negotiator and the junta expressly requested that he not be included in the ceasefire negotiations of 2003-2004.

There is still a struggle in Myanmar's fight for democracy. There have been a lot of obstacles they have had to hurdle but from class, globalization affects everyone and it takes time and to establish a democracy. I have been following this story and have started to go off track from human rights, now in to democracy.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/JB16Ae03.html