Day Five. Friday, 27 May 2016

The highest type of ruler is

One whose existence people are barely aware

Next comes one whom they love and praise

Next comes one whom they fear

Next comes one whom they despise and defy

Tao Te Ching (Book of The Way and its Derivative), Chapter 17

I have two meetings today before I leave for Mingladon. Each with a friend, one of whom is involved in the humanitarian assistance program in the Kachin State. And this is what he has to say:

• Our access to conflict affected people has become worse. The Myanmar Army has blocked all access and more than 50,000 IDPs in Kachin and Shan states are being affected.
• UN representatives have met with the Deputy Commander in Chief, Gen Soe Win, who

  

  said he had evidence the relief supplies went to the KIA (Kachin Independence Army) and that the KIA had been using IDPs as human shields during the fight. These were said to be the reasons why the Army had blocked the access.

• We also tried to approach the State Counselor. But even she said she could not interfere with the Army’s operations.
• The Army’s allegations are far from the truth, because both the UN and the humanitarian agencies are monitoring closely.
• We know the KIA is even trying to fill the gaps using their own funds whenever the relief cargoes fail to reach the IDPs due to tightened security. And there are no reports of KIA using them as human shields. On the contrary, it is the Tatmadaw itself that has been employing this tactic.

My next meeting is with Sai Nyunt Lwin, General Secretary of the “Tiger Head” Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, who discusses the party’s plan to hold a 2-day seminar for peace in Taunggyi, 1-2 June, with 19 Shan State based parties.

I wish him well at 11:00 as I have a plane to catch. But the plane is late, due to the Monsoons. And while we are in the air, it goes into a series of turbulence, also thanks to the Monsoons.

But somehow we survive. At 15:15, we are back in Chiangmai, everybody in one piece.