KNU Appoints Delegation for Peace Talks

By THE IRRAWADDY Friday, November 11, 2011

Seven leading figures from the Karen National Union (KNU) will represent the Karen rebels in peace talks with the Burmese government, according to sources close to the KNU.

The representatives are from both the political wing of the group and its armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). According a KNU official, the delegation will likely attend negotiations with Burmese government officials within the next six weeks.

Representing the KNU are: Vice-chairman David Takapaw; General-secretary Zipporah Sein; the KNLA military chief, Gen. Mutu Say Poe; the chairman of Pa-an district, Aung Maung Aye; and central committee members David Taw, Saw Ah Toe and Saw Roger Khin.

The delegation was appointed last week after a three-day emergency meeting of the KNU held in Papun District in northern Karen State which was attended by KNU and KNLA leaders from seven districts and seven brigades. The nominations were approved by 30 KNU central committee members and 15 sub-central committee members at the meeting.

As a preliminary step toward the negotiating table, Burma's President Thein Sein sent a delegation led by Minister for Railways Aung Min in October to meet Karen rebel representatives at the Thai-Burmese border. However, the KNU delegation rejected Aung Min as a state-level official, saying they would only negotiate with someone from the central government in Naypyidaw.

On Nov. 3, a breakaway Karen rebel group, Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) Brigade 5, which is led by Brig-Gen Saw Lah Pwe, reached ceasefire agreement with Burmese officials in Karen State. Brigade 5 is widely assumed to be allied with the KNLA.

Saw Lah Pwe said that his ceasefire agreement with Naypyidaw was a first step to peace throughout the entire Karen State.

However, there are reports saying that the Burmese army has reinforced its troop strength in areas of southern Burma where Karen rebels have been blocking construction of a road linking the Thai town of Kanchanaburi with Tavoy, the site of a multi-billion dollar deep-sea port project being built by Thailand's biggest construction company, Italian-Thai Development Coy.
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