Day Four. Monday, 11 April 2016

Peace is the fruit of love. To grow love requires hard work. It can also bring pain because it implies loss.

Jean Vanier (1928-   ) Canadian Catholic philosopher

Today we fly back early to Rangoon, and doing so, miss the merit sharing ceremony held at the Shan monastery of Weluwan, for our long and short departed.

We arrive early enough in Rangoon to visit friends and discuss current affairs before our departure tomorrow. Here are some of the things I have learned:

• Sao Kiaomurng Mangrai, 96, former magistrate of Kenytung

  

  and a son of Sao Kawn Kiao Inthaleng, the 40^th ruling prince of Kengtung (1896-1935), passed away yesterday in England. His kids were all schoolmates (three of them classmates) with me

• Another is Sao Kherh Hserh, 90, whose pamphlets had been one of the driving forces of the Shan armed resistance in the 50’s. He passes away today in Chiangmai’s Doi Saket
• Both Japanese and Chinese diplomats are scrambling over each other to gain support for their respective countries and projects with local political parties (no details here for reasons obvious)

Day Five. Tuesday, 12 April 2016

Odd how we focus on studying wars at school to form our education. No wonder we know so little about making and forging peace as adults.

Rasheed Ogunlaru (1970-  ), author of Soul Trader

This morning I take my son, who’s never been to Rangoon, to the Shwe Dagon. The main reason: So he can prove to himself, if not to others, that he’s been to Rangoon.

As in my visit in 2013, we go through the usual interrogation by the pagoda’s gatekeepers whether we have the (standard admission) fee (for foreigners) which is $10. As then, I reply to them with the question in Burmese: What for? And that stops them.

The pagoda itself is full of devotees and snoopy visitors. My son, seeing it from a distance, thought at first it’s as huge as the Jedi Luang in Chiangmai. But after a walk around it, he changes his mind. “This is a lot bigger,” he says.

We don’t stay long, because, for one thing, my mind can never understand such things, such as visiting the place just to pray and meditate there. Nevertheless, I regard myself a true (but maybe not so good) follower of the Buddha.

The other is that we need to get out of the hotel before the water splashings on the Pyay /Prome Road clog up the traffic.

At 09:00, we are at Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) General Secretary Sai Nyunt Lwin’s  home at 9^th Mile, which is only a few minutes drive from Mingladon. What he has to tell me, I think, really clears up one of the ambiguities of Daw Suu’s position on the non-signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) which was signed by 8 ethnic organization (EAOs) in October.

Until now, what we’ve learned from her is that she won’t be dealing with the EAOs that have, for different reasons, refused to sign it.

“When I urged her (on 10 March in Naypyitaw) to meet with the non-signatories, she replied without hesitation that she would. ‘But only after the handover (of government) is complete,’ she said. ‘In the meanwhile, I don’t want to provide the present government with any excuse for refusing to transfer power.”

Sai Nyunt Lwin, or Sai Nood to his Shan friends, nevertheless doesn’t think this offer of the olive branch from The Lady, following the 30 March handover, is going to come anytime soon. “Not before May,” he said. “There’s the Thingyan (water splashing) holidays and the need for her and her administration to have time to make themselves at home with their job.”

Besides she has already declared she would like to change the rules of how the peace game is played. That may take some time too, before the next Union Peace Conference (due May, according to one of the resolutions of the UNFC#1) is to be held.

He then drives me to the airport.

At 13:15 (Burma Time) we leave for Chiangmai.

At 14:45 (Thai Time, which is 30 minutes ahead) we are there.