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The SLORC/SPDC Version of National (r)
- Subject: The SLORC/SPDC Version of National (r)
- From: m.win@xxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 21 Nov 1999 02:11:00
Subject: Re: The SLORC/SPDC Version of National Identity
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Dear Ko Vum Son:
Thank you for your valuable insight. Of course, I know that the Burmese =
military and successive Burmese governments have never the intention to =
consider our views of national identity. For most of them assimilation =
or forced assimilation of all the non-Burmans into their prescribed =
"Myanmar" or "Bamar" label is the ultimate goal. Nothing short of this. =
We are already in conflict with this "collective label", what more could =
we comment about the "substance" of this issue. Their here and there =
limited allowances of cultural activities for all of us non-Burmans is =
just a window dressing. The real point is that the aspirations to =
achieve our birthright self-determination and recovery of our =
sovereignty have never been addressed. The new politcal equation has to =
be dealt with, before we could embark on the issue of "national =
identity". The sooner the parties concerned are expose to this =
reasoning, the better.
Thank you again for your insightful input.
Sai Wansai
----- Original Message -----=20
From: ZORO=20
To: S.Wansai ; Shan-EU ; SHAN ; SCMP/Jonathan Fenby ; Irrawaddy ; FEER =
; Burmanews ; BurmaNet 2 ; BurmaNet ; Burma Project ; Burma Issue ; =
Burma Courier ; Asiaweek=20
Sent: Saturday, November 20, 1999 5:02 PM
Subject: Re: The SLORC/SPDC Version of National Identity
S. Wansai:
You are treating the leaders of the Burmese military as if they really =
meant what they say. They changed the name from Burma to Myanmar because =
they thought that by saying Myanmar embraces all nationalities they =
might get acceptance by the non-Burman. They were also playing a trick =
with the international community that they are gearing themselves to a =
term more acceptable internationally believing that their power abuses =
may just disappear with the disappearance of the name "Burma". It is =
upto the pro-democracy minded people whether they would allow these =
things to be thrusted to their throats.=20
=20
On the one hand the military leadership appear very ignorant but in =
reality they carefully calculate what they do. For example their present =
play with the World bank is testing whether they can once again fool the =
World Bank into giving them a loan. The Ne Win dictatorship of BSPP =
successfully fooled the World bank for 26 years and the WB supplied the =
financial nessecities to terrorize the people especially the non-Burman =
nationalities. You failed miserably your armed campaign against the =
regime during the sixties and seventies because the World Bank was =
standing solidly behind the regime with its financial pillar of support.
The prodemocracy group should not allow the World Bank and other =
financial institutions and governments to stand behind the bloody hands =
of the Burmese military.
Vum Son =20
-----Original Message-----
From: S.Wansai <m.win@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: Shan-EU <100706.1311@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; SHAN <shan@xxxxxxxxxxxx>; =
SCMP/Jonathan Fenby <jfenby@xxxxxxxx>; Irrawaddy <waddy@xxxxxxxxxxxx>; =
FEER <review@xxxxxxxx>; Burmanews <strider@xxxxxxxxxxx>; BurmaNet 2 =
<burmanet2-l@xxxxxxxx>; BurmaNet <burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx>; Burma Project =
<burma@xxxxxxxxxxx>; Burma Issue <durham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; Burma =
Courier <celsus@xxxxxxxxxxx>; Asiaweek <editors@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Saturday, November 20, 1999 8:49 AM
Subject: The SLORC/SPDC Version of National Identity
The SLORC/SPDC Version of National Identity=20
By: Sai Wansai
The views of successive Burmese governments, including the present =
regime SLORC/SPDC, concerning national identity have never been clear. =
They have been at a loss even as to what sort of name they should adopt; =
that is the reason why they are still using "Bamar" and "Myanmar" =
interchangeably for what they would like to be termed a common =
collective identity, in other words, national identity. The reality is =
that when one mentions "Myanmar", "Bamar", "Burmese" or "Burman", such =
words are usually identified with the lowland majority "Bamar"and have =
never been accepted or understood by the non-Bamar ethnic nationals as a =
common collective identity to which they also belong.
Meanwhile, the Burmese military regime has changed the name of Burma =
to Myanmar. Its aim is to create a national identity for every ethnic =
group residing within the boundary of the so-called Union of Myanmar. =
But since the name Myanmar has always been identified with the lowland =
"Bamar", the SLORC/SPDC effort is only doomed to fail in trying to =
establish a common national identity among the non=AD-Bamar ethnic =
nationals. On top of that, this national identity was not chosen with =
the consent of the non-Bamar ethnic groups, but coercively thrusted down =
their throats by the hated Burmese military dictatorship.
This writer has never heard anyone mentioning that he or she is a =
Bamar Myanmar, Shan Myanmar, Kachin Myanmar, Karen Myanmar and so on. In =
the United States, by contrast, it is normal that one considers or =
accepts oneself as an American, Chinese America, Japanese American, =
Afro-American and so on. The point this writer is trying to make here is =
that the successive Burmese governments' nation-building process has =
totally shattered which failed to take root after all these years. The =
armed resistance of almost all the non-Bamar ethnic groups is a stark =
reminder and living evidence of this failure. The ceasefire deals which =
have been arranged with some of the resistance armies are also not a =
solution. They have, as noted by Bertil Lintner, simply frozen the =
ethnic conflict for the time being. They have failed to solve the =
underlying political problems and grievances.
The hard reality is that the denial of the right to =
self-determination is the crux of all the problems encompassing Burma =
today. All along the Burmese military has been implementing its own =
version of "nation-building" without tolerence to the notion of "Unity =
in Diversity". Its "win - lose" oriented conflict resolution has not =
produce positive result during the last five decades and it won't =
possibily do for the future. It is astonishing that the ruling military =
clique has not given a thought to embrace the approach of "win -win" =
outcome to manage the conflict.
The rebuilding of the shattered Union will need a political dialogue =
where comprehensive issues will be addressed and discussed in a sincere =
and open manner by all ethnic groups on an equal footing. Only then will =
we have a fighting chance of ever establishing a "national identity" in =
a true sense, embraced by all ethnic groups, Bamar included.
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D3>Dear Ko Vum Son:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Thank you for your valuable insight. Of course, =
I know=20
that the Burmese military and successive Burmese governments have never =
the=20
intention to consider our views of national identity. For most of them=20
assimilation or forced assimilation of all the non-Burmans into their =
prescribed=20
"Myanmar" or "Bamar" label is the ultimate goal. Nothing short of this. =
We are=20
already in conflict with this "collective label", what more could =
we=20
comment about the "substance" of this issue. Their here and there =
limited=20
allowances of cultural activities for all of us non-Burmans is just a =
window=20
dressing. The real point is that the aspirations to achieve our =
birthright=20
self-determination and recovery of our sovereignty have never been =
addressed.=20
The new politcal equation has to be dealt with, before we could embark =
on the=20
issue of "national identity". The sooner the parties concerned are =
expose to=20
this reasoning, the better.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Thank you again for your insightful =
input.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Sai Wansai</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: =
0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV=20
style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
<A href=3D"mailto:suantak@xxxxxx"; title=3Dsuantak@xxxxxx>ZORO</A> =
</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
href=3D"mailto:m.win@xxxxxxxxxx"=20
title=3Dm.win@xxxxxxxxxx>S.Wansai</A> ; <A=20
href=3D"mailto:100706.1311@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx"=20
title=3D100706.1311@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>Shan-EU</A> ; <A=20
href=3D"mailto:shan@xxxxxxxxxxxx"; title=3Dshan@xxxxxxxxxxxx>SHAN</A> ; =
<A=20
href=3D"mailto:jfenby@xxxxxxxx"; title=3Djfenby@xxxxxxxx>SCMP/Jonathan =
Fenby</A> ;=20
<A href=3D"mailto:waddy@xxxxxxxxxxxx"; =
title=3Dwaddy@xxxxxxxxxxxx>Irrawaddy</A> ;=20
<A href=3D"mailto:review@xxxxxxxx"; title=3Dreview@xxxxxxxx>FEER</A> ; =
<A=20
href=3D"mailto:strider@xxxxxxxxxxx"; =
title=3Dstrider@xxxxxxxxxxx>Burmanews</A> ; <A=20
href=3D"mailto:burmanet2-l@xxxxxxxx"; =
title=3Dburmanet2-l@xxxxxxxx>BurmaNet 2</A> ;=20
<A href=3D"mailto:burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx"=20
title=3Dburmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx>BurmaNet</A> ; <A =
href=3D"mailto:burma@xxxxxxxxxxx"=20
title=3Dburma@xxxxxxxxxxx>Burma Project</A> ; <A=20
href=3D"mailto:durham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"; =
title=3Ddurham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>Burma=20
Issue</A> ; <A href=3D"mailto:celsus@xxxxxxxxxxx"; =
title=3Dcelsus@xxxxxxxxxxx>Burma=20
Courier</A> ; <A href=3D"mailto:editors@xxxxxxxxxxxx"=20
title=3Deditors@xxxxxxxxxxxx>Asiaweek</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, November 20, =
1999 5:02=20
PM</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: The SLORC/SPDC =
Version of=20
National Identity</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>S. Wansai:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT><FONT size=3D2>You are =
treating the=20
leaders of the Burmese military as if they really meant what they say. =
They=20
changed the name from Burma to Myanmar because they thought that by =
saying=20
Myanmar embraces all nationalities they might get acceptance by the=20
non-Burman. They were also playing a trick with the =
international=20
community that they are gearing themselves to a term more acceptable=20
internationally believing that their power abuses may just disappear =
with the=20
disappearance of the name "Burma". It is upto the pro-democracy minded =
people=20
whether they would allow these things to be thrusted to their=20
throats. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>On the one hand the military leadership appear =
very ignorant=20
but in reality they carefully calculate what they do. For example =
their=20
present play with the World bank is testing whether they can once =
again fool=20
the World Bank into giving them a loan. The Ne Win dictatorship =
of BSPP=20
successfully fooled the World bank for 26 years and the WB supplied =
the=20
financial nessecities to terrorize the people especially the =
non-Burman=20
nationalities. You failed miserably your armed campaign against =
the=20
regime during the sixties and seventies because the World Bank was =
standing=20
solidly behind the regime with its financial pillar of =
support.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>The prodemocracy group should not allow the World =
Bank and=20
other financial institutions and governments to stand behind the =
bloody hands=20
of the Burmese military.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Vum Son </FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
PADDING-LEFT: 5px">
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><B>-----Original =
Message-----</B><BR><B>From:=20
</B>S.Wansai <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:m.win@xxxxxxxxxx";>m.win@xxxxxxxxxx</A>><BR><B>To:=20
</B>Shan-EU <<A=20
=
href=3D"mailto:100706.1311@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx";>100706.1311@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx</A>=
>;=20
SHAN <<A =
href=3D"mailto:shan@xxxxxxxxxxxx";>shan@xxxxxxxxxxxx</A>>;=20
SCMP/Jonathan Fenby <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:jfenby@xxxxxxxx";>jfenby@xxxxxxxx</A>>; Irrawaddy =
<<A=20
href=3D"mailto:waddy@xxxxxxxxxxxx";>waddy@xxxxxxxxxxxx</A>>; FEER =
<<A=20
href=3D"mailto:review@xxxxxxxx";>review@xxxxxxxx</A>>; Burmanews =
<<A=20
href=3D"mailto:strider@xxxxxxxxxxx";>strider@xxxxxxxxxxx</A>>; =
BurmaNet 2=20
<<A =
href=3D"mailto:burmanet2-l@xxxxxxxx";>burmanet2-l@xxxxxxxx</A>>;=20
BurmaNet <<A=20
=
href=3D"mailto:burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx";>burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx</A>>; =
Burma=20
Project <<A =
href=3D"mailto:burma@xxxxxxxxxxx";>burma@xxxxxxxxxxx</A>>;=20
Burma Issue <<A=20
=
href=3D"mailto:durham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx";>durham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx</A>>=
;=20
Burma Courier <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:celsus@xxxxxxxxxxx";>celsus@xxxxxxxxxxx</A>>; =
Asiaweek <<A=20
=
href=3D"mailto:editors@xxxxxxxxxxxx";>editors@xxxxxxxxxxxx</A>><BR><B>D=
ate:=20
</B>Saturday, November 20, 1999 8:49 AM<BR><B>Subject: </B>The =
SLORC/SPDC=20
Version of National Identity<BR><BR></DIV></FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D3><FONT face=3DArial size=3D3><FONT =
color=3D#0000ff=20
size=3D4><STRONG><U>The SLORC/SPDC Version of National=20
Identity</U></STRONG></FONT>=20
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify><STRONG>By: Sai Wansai</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>The views of successive Burmese governments, =
including=20
the present regime SLORC/SPDC, concerning national identity =
have never=20
been clear. They have been at a loss even as to what sort of name =
they=20
should adopt; that is the reason why they are still =
using =20
"Bamar" and "Myanmar" interchangeably for what they =
would like=20
to be termed a common collective identity, in other words, national=20
identity. The reality is that when one mentions "Myanmar", "Bamar",=20
"Burmese" or "Burman", such words are usually identified with the =
lowland=20
majority "Bamar"and have never been accepted or understood by the =
non-Bamar=20
ethnic nationals as a common collective identity to which they also=20
belong.</DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>Meanwhile, the Burmese military regime has =
changed=20
the name of Burma to Myanmar. Its aim is to create a national =
identity for=20
every ethnic group residing within the boundary of the so-called =
Union of=20
Myanmar. But since the name Myanmar has always been identified with =
the=20
lowland "Bamar", the SLORC/SPDC effort is only doomed to fail in =
trying to=20
establish a common national identity among the non­-Bamar ethnic =
nationals. On top of that, this national identity was not chosen =
with the=20
consent of the non-Bamar ethnic groups, but coercively thrusted down =
their=20
throats by the hated Burmese military dictatorship.</DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify><BR>This writer has never heard anyone =
mentioning that he=20
or she is a Bamar Myanmar, Shan Myanmar, Kachin Myanmar, Karen =
Myanmar and=20
so on. In the United States, by contrast, it is normal that one =
considers or=20
accepts oneself as an American, Chinese America, Japanese American,=20
Afro-American and so on. The point this writer is trying to make =
here is=20
that the successive Burmese governments' nation-building process has =
totally=20
shattered which failed to take root after all these years. The armed =
resistance of almost all the non-Bamar ethnic groups is a stark =
reminder and=20
living evidence of this failure. The ceasefire deals which have been =
arranged with some of the resistance armies are also not a solution. =
They=20
have, as noted by Bertil Lintner, simply frozen the ethnic conflict =
for the=20
time being. They have failed to solve the underlying political =
problems and=20
grievances.</DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>The hard reality is that the denial of the =
right to=20
self-determination is the crux of all the problems encompassing =
Burma today.=20
All along the Burmese military has been implementing its own version =
of=20
"nation-building" without tolerence to the notion of "Unity in =
Diversity".=20
Its "win - lose" oriented conflict resolution has not produce =
positive=20
result during the last five decades and it won't possibily do for =
the=20
future. It is astonishing that the ruling military clique has not =
given a=20
thought to embrace the approach of "win -win" outcome to manage the=20
conflict.</DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify><BR>The rebuilding of the shattered Union will =
need a=20
political dialogue where comprehensive issues will be addressed and=20
discussed in a sincere and open manner by all ethnic groups on an =
equal=20
footing. Only then will we have a fighting chance of ever =
establishing a=20
"national identity" in a true sense, embraced by all ethnic groups, =
Bamar=20
included.</DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<HR>
</FONT></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>
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