Myanmar ready to welcome Karen

I congratulate Mr. Robert Birsel (Reuters) on his recent report (The Jakarta Post, Dec. 22, 1994) on the Karen National Union (KNU) mutiny. It is a balanced report, although only KNU rebels were interviewed.

I wish to emphasize again that the KNU is fighting neither for autonomy nor democracy. Following the Aung San-Atlee Agreement (January 1947) to grant Burma Independence, the British Administration held the first ever democratic elections in Burma (April 1947) under their supervision to elect the Constituent Assembly which would determine Burma's democratic (Federal-Union) future for all its citizens.

The KNU refused to participate in the elections. They then wrote an appeal to the British government to grant them independence as a separate Nation. However, the larger Karen faction affiliated with the Anti Fascists Peoples Freedom League (AFPFL) led by General Aung San and U Nu, participated in the elections and, together with the AFPFL, won by a landslide (Burma: by Dr. Silverstein, Cornell University, 1959).

During one term of U Nu's government, a Karen, Mahn Win Maung, was the President of the Union of Burma. Another Karen, General Smith-Dun, was the first Commander-in-Chief of the Burma Army.

Whatever the past extremes of the KNU movement, or the grave and violent disunity amongst themselves today, my government remains patiently ready to welcome them back in a deeply sincere spirit of National reconciliation and peace, to work together to build a prosperous and democratic Myanmar.

U NYI NYI THAN

Ambassador

Myanmar Embassy

Jakarta