In praise of peace dividends Aung Naing Oo | Monday, 13 October 2014 The Myanmar Times If one were to say before the peace process was initiated three years ago that ceasefires would soon change the lives of civilians in conflict areas, few people would likely have believed it. But the truth is that the ceasefires in Myanmar have brought incredible peace dividends. They have transformed the lives of many people. “Life for communities hiding in the jungles of Myanmar changed almost overnight with the signing of the ceasefires,” said Charles Petrie, the coordinator of the Myanmar Peace Support Initiative. The first direct peace dividends in Myanmar following the signing of the 14 bilateral treaties, which were followed by almost a year of talks toward a nationwide ceasefire, have been fewer clashes. At the peak of the armed conflict, 10 of Myanmar’s states and regions were affected by the war. Now only two areas – Kachin and northern Shan states – have experienced intermittent clashes. In Kachin State, the number of clashes has dropped to a small fraction of what they were before an understanding was reached in May this year. It goes without saying that fewer clashes means less loss of life and destruction. The government’s chief negotiator, Minister for the President’s Office U Aung Min, often tells visitors a heart-warming example of this peace dividend. The Mingalardon Military Hospital used to carry out many amputations – as many as 40 a day – at the height of previous military offensives. Because clashes have been dramatically reduced, no more amputations have to be carried out. Where doctors at the hospital used to teach medical students using live amputations, they now have to use prostheses to demonstrate to students how to perform an amputation. Fewer clashes also mean fewer refugee outflows. In its report for the first half of this year, The Border Consortium, a coalition of aid groups working with refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border, said about 250 refugees had returned to Myanmar to assess conditions and possibly resettle permanently. Given the large number of refugees languishing on the Thai-Myanmar border, this is a relatively small number. But the return of refugees is unheard of in the context of Myanmar’s armed conflicts. As a result of decreasing conflict in Myanmar, the Thais – who have sheltered the refugees from Myanmar for decades – are in talks with the authorities and international organisations to assess the possibility for return. There have been other crucial peace dividends from the process initiated by President U Thein Sein. Since peace returned to many areas in 2011, the Ministry of Immigration and Population has been able to provide some 800,000 IDs cards to people in Kachin, Karen, Mon, Shan and Kayah states. This could only occur as a result of the ceasefires, which led to cooperation between the ministry and the ethnic armed groups. Assistance of all kind has been delivered. According to the Ministry of Border Affairs, a total of K1.242 billion (US$1.25 million) has been spent in border areas on peace-related activities. The money has been used to build bridges, schools, roads and clinics. Local and international NGOs have gained access to areas that were once off-limits. Roads have been reopened. Civilians can now travel freely in many conflict areas that were once closed. Although not all conflict areas are the same, freedom of movement, which was a luxury before, is now part of daily life in areas where ceasefires have held. Furthermore, in areas where ceasefires have brought stability and security, people are talking about tourism and clamouring for development. Economic activity has also markedly improved in ceasefire areas. But most important of all, civilians have been able to cultivate the land on which they live. “For the first time in decades, and for some multiple decades, communities had unimpeded access to the areas that they cultivated,” Petrie said. “They could reap the full value of their harvests. As a result incomes increased immediately after the first harvests.” In terms of healthcare, “Individuals and families no longer had to walk days to Thailand to receive medical treatment. They could go to clinics in the government-controlled areas,” he said. Ashley South, another analyst who has an intimate knowledge of the peace process, said that for people in many communities life is “much, much better than before the ceasefires, with reduced fear, greater freedom of travel resulting in improving livelihoods, and hope for the future”. While the peace dividends are too many to count, the ceasefires are not without their problems. Recently, sporadic fighting flared up in some areas of Kayin and Shan states due to the fragile nature of the current agreements. These incidents highlight why it is so important to wrap up talks on a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement and strengthen the existing ceasefires. According to Petrie, many civilians still fear interactions with the Tatmadaw, although these are no longer traumatic for most people. The brighter prospects for economic development as a result of the ceasefire are also not without concern, as business can bring with it many negative impacts. “In many conflict-affected areas, ceasefires are also facilitating the incursion of extractive industries, and widespread land-grabbing,” South said. “There is a great risk that unless mining operations, logging and land-grabbing are addressed in conflict-affected areas, the peace process could result in serious long-term negative outcomes for ethnic communities.” Indeed, the situation is far from ideal. It will be a long time before civilians in conflict areas will be able to lead a completely a normal life. Those of us living in the cities and in areas not affected by armed conflict may not appreciate the positive effects of the ceasefires. But they have provided the civilians in conflict zones with fresh air from the suffocation of war. This is why it is so important to maintain these ceasefires at all cost. I have heard many stories about civilians expressing their desire to keep the ceasefires in place. A Kayin official once related how villagers told him to do everything in his power to maintain the ceasefire even if “there was no political dialogue”. Petrie agreed, saying, “When asked what their greatest wish was, all communities encountered in the former black areas responded: ‘For the fighting not to resume.’” Aung Naing Oo is associate director of the Peace Dialogue Program at the Myanmar Peace Center. The opinions expressed here are his own.
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 03:40:41 +0000
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