We will seek justice: KNLA

May 24, 2012 By Daniel Pedersen, APNN

EASING sanctions on the Burmese government has left the West exposed and see-sawing at the verge of being hauled in front of the International Criminal Court, said Karen National Liberation Army Colonel Nerdah Mya.

“If the only reason they [Western governments] are doing this is for big business then they are killing 50 million people, they are enslaving the Burmese people,” he said.

“You have to guarantee freedom for the people,” he said.

“Our goal is democracy.”


If the West is deliberately relaxing restrictions to allow major corporations access to Burmese resources then action will be taken, he said.

“Slavery is prohibited, it is a crime defined by the West itself, these governments [easing sanctions] are 50-50 at the verge of making a really serious mistake,” he said.

“They have to realise they’re not dealing with a regular military dictatorship.”

At the moment the West is going directly to the central government to strike deals and refusing to deal with the ethnic peoples, he said.

“They’re ignoring the rights of the majority, if we truly unite we constitute at least 60 per cent of the population who occupy 70 per cent of the Burmese landmass.

“The ethnic issues cannot be overlooked, when companies want to do business in ethnic areas they should be dealing with the landowners, not the central government,” said Colonel Nerdah.

“You ignore the ethnics, you ignore democracy.

“We can stop the projects, they should be looking at ways of avoiding conflict before the conflict starts,” he said.

“Unity is our strength, nothing is more powerful than unity, not even a nuclear weapon.”

ENDS
http://asiapacificnewsnetwork.com/we-will-seek-justice-knla.html