Three members of the KNU Central Executive Committee led by Vice-President Saw David Tharckabaw met the Thai Foreign Ministry officials to discuss for a peace talk with the Burmese junta.

Phado David Htaw, a member of the KNU Central Executive Committee told Kaowao today that the Thai Foreign Ministry invited the Karen to discuss on national reconciliation in Burma with the Burmese junta.  No detail information has released who attended the meeting from the Thai counterparts.

The Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya has been asked by the Burma’s ruling junta to facilitate the peace talk between the government and Karen rebel during his two days visit to Burma in March.

Aung Thu Nyein, a Burma researcher on Thailand, said that Thailand wants peace in Burma because they can build dams and improve border trade from the economic perspective.  However, Thailand should not pressure to only the KNU but work together with other Burmese groups to create a stable situation in Burma.

Thai army officials recently asked Karen leaders living in the Thai border town of Mae Sot to return to the KNU controlled areas inside Burma.

The KNU has engaged peace talks with the Burmese regime four times since the present regime took power in 1988. The late chairman of the KNU, Gen. Saw Bo Mya, held peace talks with the regime in Rangoon in 2005, two years before his death. Contacts have been at a standstill since then.

Mr. David Htaw said, “We don’t want to talk in Burma this time because we have already talked there before and no result came out from the talk.” 

The KNU has been in conflict with the Burmese army for more than 50 years. As the civil war is dragging longer, some KNU members are frustrated with the armed struggle. 

The KNU has become weaker since 1994, when the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army split from the KNU.  After Gen. Saw Bo Mya passed away in 2007, another splinter group led by Htaing Maung defected to the Burmese government.  Recently, the youngest son of Gen. Saw Bo Mya, Saw Nay Soe Mya defected to the Burmese military along with family members on March 30.

Aung Thu Nyein said, “The Burmese government is trying to split the KNU members group by group. They (government) don’t want to bring the whole KNU in peace talk indeed.”