Almost a year after he plunged into the peace process, doing his shuttle diplomacy between ethnic rebel movements on the border and Naypyitaw, U Aung Min, the newly appointed President’s Office Minister # 4 or “Minister Without Borders” as he likes to call himself, is disclosing loud and clear for the first time that payments for peace are not coming from either the state coffers or the foreign peace support groups, according to Karen Information Center (KIC)’s interview with him on 4 September.

Alternative peace roadmap approved by Ethnic Nationalities Conference
(14-16 September 2012)

Unofficial translation

1. To hold a forum participated by ethnic armed movements, political parties and civil society organizations (CSOs) including women and youth groups to discuss and agree upon a Framework for Political Dialogue

Why did they hold the ethnic nationalities conference, 14-16 September?

The following excerpts from the first day’s speeches and presentations delivered by the participants, as SHAN heard, will provide some, if not all, the answers.

Nagging suspicions cast against Norway and the Burmese government pulling strings behind the 3 day Ethnic Nationalities Conference almost wrecked the day for the 150 participants and observers attending it in Chiangmai yesterday, saved at the last minute by a timely explanation by the organizers.

Hkun Htun Oo, leader of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) that had won the most seats in Shan State in the 1990 elections, is leaving for Washington D.C. this evening, according to SNLD sources.

Some top members of the PaO National Liberation Organization (PNLO) that concluded a ceasefire agreement on 25 August at the Shan State capital Taunggyi have expressed disappointment with the news report that appeared on the Myanmar Alin daily two days later.

Thanks to the meet-every-5-year congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) that will be held two months from now, Chinese authorities have increased security measures along its borders with its neighbors, including that with Burma, according to Chinese security sources.

According to the list of de-blacklisted foreigners and exiles that was published yesterday, two prominent Shan exiles Tiger Yawnghwe and his younger brother the late Dr Chao Tzang Yawnghwe are now safe to travel back to their home country.