Myanmar rebel leader says "prepare for the worst"

Jan 31, 2012, 4:53 GMT

Bangkok - The president of the Karen National Union (KNU) on Tuesday urged his followers to remain hopeful about peace talks with the Myanmar government but to 'prepare for the worst.'

The KNU on January 12 signed two preliminary ceasefire agreements with the government in Pa-an, capital of the Karen State, to end their armed insurgency which on Tuesday marked its 63rd anniversary.

'These agreements were small initial steps in the march towards ceasefire, internal peace, national reconciliation, amendment of the 2008 constitution and establishment of a genuine union,' Saw Tamla Baw said.

'We still have to take thousands of steps more,' he said. 'I would like to remind you all to maintain a critical mind and hope for the best without suspicion and desire for revenge, and at the same time be prepared for the worst.'

More than 200 Karen fighters gathered at Oo Kray Kee village, in the Karen State, to mark the anniversary of their revolution.

The KNU chief said peace would depend on the 'broadmindedness' of President Thein Sein, who came to power in March and has initiated numerous reforms in recent months including the talks with the KNU.

On January 31, 1949, soldiers attacked Karen communities in Yangon and burned several churches, sparking one of the world's oldest insurgencies.

In 1996, troops overran the KNU's military headquarters in Mannerplaw, Karen State, turning the Karen into a guerrilla force.

Over the past 16 years, fighting in the Karen State has forced more than 145,000 Karen to flee their homes for refuge in camps in neighbouring Thailand.

'Though the Karen revolution has been going on for 63 years, we still must struggle on, as we still have not achieved the goal desired by the entire Karen people, which is a Karen country with freedom, peace and self-determination,' Saw Tamla Baw said.

Besides its preliminary agreements with the KNU, the government has also signed pacts with Shan and Chin insurgents. This month it attempted to conclude a similar ceasefire agreement with the Kachin Independence Organization, but failed.

Western democracies have demanded the government cease hostilities against its ethnic minority insurgencies as one of their conditions for normalizing relations with the once-pariah state that is now under a pro-military government packed with ex-generals.