Following the disappointment of the top leaders meeting between the government and the Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs), held in Naypyitaw from October 15 to 16, State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi flew to Myitkyina Kachin State, where she visited a boarding school for students from hilly regions, a drug rehabilitation center donated by Daw Khin Kyi Foundation and two Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps within the vicinity.
The State Counselor landed in Myitkyina, Kachin State October 19 morning, accompanied by Union Minister for Border Affairs Lt-Gen Ye Aung, Union Minister for Labor, Immigration and Population U Thein Swe, Union Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Dr. Win Myat Aye, and Deputy Minister for the Office of the President U Min Thu.
Her entourage first traveled to Shwe Moe Taung Pagoda in Myitkyina and offered flower, water and oil lamps and signed the pagoda’s guestbook. Next, she visited the Lansel Boarding School in Shwe Set Ward, to attend a donation ceremony being held there, where the students performed to the songs “Hero” and “Let’s build peace”.
After that she visited St. Joseph IDP Camp, drug rehabilitation center and Ingyandone Baptist IDP camp.
At boarding school her main message to the students referring to the two songs sung by them, Suu Kyi said: “Please try to truly understand the meaning of the two songs sung here today and if you live your life as the songs suggest then all the children in this room will have nothing but improvements in their lives. But this is not just for yourselves. It is for your community, your country, your world, and a new peaceful world. A new world cannot come into being with only your country in peace. The entire world must be at peace for everyone to have peace. There has never been world peace in the entire history of the globe. That’s because people don’t go towards the path of peace so often.”
She added: “My final wish is for the children here to contribute to your home place as much as you can when you can one day,” according to the State Counselor’s website.
During her visit of the two IDP camps, at Ingyandone Baptist IDP camp the State Counselor delivered words of encouragement saying: “The main aim is to enable all to return to their own places and live peacefully. The main responsibility of those who had established the camp, organizations and entities that supported the camp including the government is to enable the people to return to their place of origin and live peacefully and progress ahead.”
She explicitly stressed: “It is important for all to have in mind that ultimately, they will return to their places of origin and create a stable and developing situation.”
She added: “We don’t want to see our people in camps like these. We want to see them return to their places and live peacefully. We will do our best. In doing our best, the people who are most affected are urged to help and participate in it.”
She also emphasized education and health care saying that both physical and mental strength are crucial to a human existence. She said: “Education is for mental strength and health is for physical strength.”
Regarding the drug rehabilitation the State Counselor’s main message is cooperation. She said: “It is something we all have to chip in. When our fellow citizens are lured by the temptations of drugs and have their capacities diminished and lives destroyed, it is our duty to help them get back on their feet and provide support. It is something everyone can collaborate in.”
However, while the IDPs are energized by the State Counselor’s positive attitude that they shouldn’t resign themselves to become permanent dwellers of the camp and that they would be able to go back home, their prospective return would largely depend on the ground situation, according to Ma Saing Nu of Karuna Mission Social Solidarity.
She said that even though Suu Kyi has said that the IDP camps are temporary in reality the Kachin IDPs can only return and resettle if the wars could be halted.
“The main thing is the ongoing war between the military and the Kachin independence Army (KIA) and an absence of war situation is necessary. Only at that time we will have the prospect of returning home,” stressed Ma Saing Nu, according to the recent Voice of America report.
Similarly, during the State Counselor’s first visit in March 2017 to Waingmaw township Khatcho village IDP camp she also told the camp’s residents: “We can close these IDP camps and people can live at their homes only if we attain peace [between ethnic Kachins and majority Burmese].”
During the top leaders’ special meeting, from October 15 to 16, Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing accused Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) of misusing the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) to expand its turf and fighting force, including being the main culprit of inter-ethnic conflict in northern Shan State. He also failed to attend the meeting that followed, to which the RCSS boss Gen Yawd Serk also follow suit, thereby effectively diluting the essence of the top leaders’ meeting to resolve the problems and was called off in two days, which originally was scheduled to be held for a couple of days.
But given such a disappointment and pessimistic outcomes of the recently held top leaders’ special meeting between the government-military and EAOs designed to break the ice of peace process stagnation, the Kachin IDPs’ prospect of returning home doesn’t seem likely in the near future.
related : State Counsellor visits boarding school, drug rehab center, IDP camps in Kachin State
