By Hyo Won Shin
Recent military clashes in Myanmar’s Kokang region have grabbed headlines worldwide, with the country’s government calling a state of emergency as tens of thousands of refugees flee toward neighboring China.
While Western journalists just a few years ago gushed over the announcement of the country’s transition to democracy, Myanmar has a long history of ethnic conflict that will not end overnight. The recent conflict in Kokang — a continuation of a 2009 conflict between military junta troops and the Kokang army — shows that Myanmar is still divided.
The fighting, which erupted earlier this month, ended six years of relative peace and came just before Myanmar’s Union Day, which the government had set as a deadline to sign a nationwide ceasefire with armed ethnic groups.
Despite the ongoing political transition, the central government has failed to bring unity and stability to the entire country, mainly because of the disparity between the central government and the military. While the new government under President Thein Sein has been striving to engage with several ethnic groups and sign cease-fire agreements, the military continues offensives against ethnic areas.
The military’s actions in recent years have deepened ethnic groups’ mistrust towards the central government. One example was last month’s brutal gang rape, perpetrated by Tatmadaw troops, that ended in the deaths of two young women volunteering for the Kachin Baptist Convention in Northern Shan State. The incident stirred hatred from local Kachins towards the central government, and continued to harm the central government’s credibility among ethnic populations.
Although Thein Sein has declared a state of emergency, the government and military need to be in sync in order to settle conflicts with ethnic groups and also prove that the government and military are reliable and trustworthy.
As Myanmar was under military dictatorship for over 30 years, it is impossible for the country to transition to a perfectly functioning democracy overnight. Ethnic problems have been ongoing since the dynastic eras and the root of the problems involves a complex combination of religion, race and politics.
Despite Thein Sein’s efforts, ongoing military offensives show that the country’s government is still highly fractured and that the military does not necessarily march in lock step with central government. With ongoing human rights violations and killings perpetrated by the military, the country still has a long way to go before it can declare itself a democracy.
Still, there is hope that President Thein Sein is making efforts to communicate with and compromise with the ethnic groups, such as making political dialogues to push for cease-fire agreements with various ethnic groups.
Hyo Won Shin covers security issues in Myanmar and Asia. Having grown up in Myanmar prior to the country’s political transformation, she brings an in-depth perspective to her coverage of a country that most Western journalists know little about.
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