It is interesting to me to read other articles that cover the ethnic war going on in Burma because I learn something new every time. No matter what article I read, each reporter ties the issues in Burma back to the same thing, resources.
According to The Telegraph the conflict in Burma started with a series of event that lead up to the death of a Kachin corporal back in June and then, as the Kachin Independence Army demanded to be heard in the political process, they were banned from voting. That is one of the main reasons that sparked the war. The Kachin Independence Army is fighting with the Burmese army not only for power in the political process, but also for independence from the country in order to be able to control their resources.
The Kachin people count up to over 1,000,000 and they make up one third of the Burmese population. Not only that, but the Kachin occupy most of the territory in Burma. The Kachin also claim to be the descendents of Mongolians, and sometimes, even from Genghis Khan. They have their own dialect and are predominantly Christian, which is not very common in East Asia. Their Christianity has influenced their propaganda. A common TV spot is the view of Jesus smiling down on the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) troops.
As I reported in my last blog, the number of civilian causalities is still unknown, according to The Telegraph. There have been more than one hundred soldiers killed. President Thein Sein has ordered the troops, the Burmese Army, to stop their attacks on the KIA but the Burmese army has ignored his orders. Currently, the government has an unknown established level of control over the army, but the unwillingness to follow orders and the escalating conflict of this war is not making the country look good to the United States and Europe. They have declared that they will not lift the economic sanctions until the conflicts have ended. Even with the pressures from the US and Europe, the KIA say that they will not stop fighting until their petition for independence has been addressed. On the government's side, the believe that if they give the Kachin their independece, that other ethnic groups will want their independence as well.
In a country that has so many resources, it is obvious why there is so much turmoil. The control of resources not only gives power within a country, but it also gives power in the world. The resources that the Kachin want to control within their state are resources that bigger super powers, like China, want. In the article that I pulled from The Telegraph, the reporter states that the Kachin Independence Army is losing, but they are not giving up the fight. The rebels (KIA) want the right to be a political power and the right to control the resources that lie within their state.
More disturbing is the fact that the article talks about the Burmese Army and their war crimes. It wasn't until I really started to study politics that I realized that war is a very structured process. In my mind, it was a bunch of angry men running blindly at each other, shooting at anything that had a pulse, but in actuality, war is a strategic process with many rules. One rule refers to civilians. It is not okay in any war to take out civilians in order to make a statement to the army. They are unnecessary deaths. However, the Burmese army have been reported as raping the women, killing women and children, and causing chaos for sport. Over 50,000 villagers have been displaced because of their violence and if things continue, the numbers will only rise.
It is sad how much politics plays into conflicts like these. It is not the civilians fault that this conflict is happening, yet it seems that no country is willing to provide adequate help or intervention. China is trying to remain neutral by appeasing both sides. Although they are not trying to get rid of the Kachin from the camps that they established after fleeing Burma, the Chinese government are not allowing aid to get to them. That, I believe, is incredibly unfair. To save political face, the country is denying tens of thousands of people aid.
Lastly, one of the interesting things about the article to me was that The Telegraph referred to the ethnic conflict in Burma as, guerrilla warfare. It makes sense now that I have a deeper understanding of the conflict itself, but I think that its more of a civil war. A revolution that needs to be fought in order for anything to change. The Kachin want a voice and are willing to do whatever they have to do to make sure it is heard.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/burmamyanmar/9086517/Dispatch-On-the-front-line-of-Burmas-guerilla-war.html#.Tz52APfg_W8.email
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