‘Today Shan State is already a separate country’

Written by Mizzima News

Monday, 14 February 2011 15:11 - Last Updated Monday, 14 February 2011 17:21

Lieutenant General Yawd Serk, the leader of the Shan State Army-South, talks with Mizzima.
Jai Wan Mai asks him about his split with drug trafficker Kun Sa, the DKBA army, how to stop
the drug trade, is the SSA preparing for war, the importance of ethnic independence and drug
trafficking among cease-fire groups.

Q: First of all, why did you pick Loi Tai Leng for your headquarters?

A: We looked at the geography and surveyed the area. Geographically, it is a high mountain
and it has an upper hand in a battle time. Another thing is to train our fighters and to shore up
our force.

Q: Prior to that, you used to be with Kun Sa. Why didn’t you  surrender with him?

A: Kun Sa was another group (Shan United Army-South) before we joined together. We are the
followers of Sao Korn Jeung (or Mo Heing), who was the leader of the Shan United
Revolutionary Army (SURA). When we joined together, we had different political objectives.
Originally, Kun Sa was a businessman before he became involved in politics. Sao Korn Jeung
was mainly focused on the politics. I had followed Sao Korn Jeueng since I was 16 years old.
We were different than Kun Sa.

We joined the resistance due to our love for our nation. When Kun Sa surrendered, we did not
join with him because to join the resistance means you don’t  surrender. With or without Kun Sa,
we will continue with our work. That is why we did not surrender.

Q: Now, the fights between the DKBA and Burmese troops are taking place on the border
near Mae Sot, Thailand. What about the SSA and the Burmese regime, will there be
bigger fights?

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‘Today Shan State is already a separate country’

Written by Mizzima News

Monday, 14 February 2011 15:11 - Last Updated Monday, 14 February 2011 17:21

A: It is very clear whether the Burmese regime is good or bad. The DKBA in fact cooperated
and made a cease-fire with the Burmese regime. However, when the regime was not sincere,
the DKBA  bravely fought back against the regime. At this point, I am respect very much the
DKBA bravery and their love for their nation and their country. The fights between the SSA and
Burmese troops have continued and have been going on since Kun Sa surrendered in 1996.
Ever since, more or lest, fights have taken for 13 years.

Q: On the Shan-Thai border, it has been two to three years, since you had big fights. In
the future, will  Burmese troops attack the SSA?

A: In 2000-2001, we had intensive fights along the border. The fights took place because there
were too many drug refineries along the Shan-Thai border. When we set up our bases along the
border, we established a policy against the narcotics drug. At that time, we fought against the
drug traffickers. However, when the drug traffickers  work along  with the Burmese regime, we
had to fight the Burmese regime too. At that time, we did not have a military plan to attack the
Burmese regime on the border. That was a fight against the drug. At the moment, the fights on
the Shan-Thai border have stopped because there are no drug refineries along the border.

Q: What about inside Shan State?

A: There are still many drug refineries inside Shan State. What I mean is there is no drug
refineries along the border. Opium is still blooming and people grow more poppy than before.

Q: Then, how you intend to solve the drug problems?

A: The drug problem is not the only Shan State problem but a problem that affects the people in
the world. The Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS; a political wing of the SSA) has a
policy with four points:

First, if the international community wants to eradicate  drugs, it must help to solve the political
conflicts between the Shan opposition groups and the Burmese regime. Today, the Burmese
regime governs the country. The drug problem  takes place under nose of the Burmese regime.
Therefore, the international community must help to solve the political conflicts. It must help the
people here get the rights to govern the country and have the rights to eradicate the drugs.

Second, the RCSS have all the names of the poppy growers. But we are not strong enough to
take full action against them. We have to find crop substitutions for the villagers. Improve their
livelihood. We have to find markets for the crop substitution.

Third, we have to set up schools for young children and educate them about the drug problem.
Today, many Shan youth do not realize the danger of drugs and many are drug addicted. The
Burmese also share that responsibility. Therefore it is important to have schools to educate the
adults and children on drug problems.

Fourth, we must cooperate with the international community to eliminate drug traffickers. The
drug traffickers are not living inside Shan State, but they live abroad. The drug prices are

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‘Today Shan State is already a separate country’

Written by Mizzima News

Monday, 14 February 2011 15:11 - Last Updated Monday, 14 February 2011 17:21

increasing because the foreign drug traffickers pay high prices. Also, many villagers  do not
know what to do except grow poppy. It is easy to grow and it earns good prices.

Therefore, without the cooperation of the international community, it is impossible to eradicate

drugs. Briefly, all the problems are due to the Burmese authorities. It is not due to ethnic and
opposition groups.

Q: How much cooperation is there between the international community and your group
on the drug issue?

A: We have been holding out our hand to the international community to solve the problem for
more than 10 years. Today, we stand on our own feet and try to eradicate the drug. No one
helps us directly eradicate the drugs. We have met with the US Drug Enforcement Agency,  but
the DEA has a different policy. That policy is to arrest people. They do not have a policy on how
to change people. I told them, their policy will not solve the drug problem.

Q: Previously, you have said that the political conflicts must be solved before the drug
problem can be solved.

A: Yes, the political problems inside the federal Union of Burma must be solved.

Q: What are the political conflicts between the Shan and the regime and how can you 
solve them?

A: The cause of the problem is due to the military dictatorship. The Burmese regime governs
the country by military force. This is the main problem. The reason behind governing the country
with its military force is to control the whole and transform it into a unique land of Burmans. The
federal union of Burma includes the eight ethnic states. But the Burmese regime does not want
to form the country with eight ethnic states. Because of that, the problems started. Now ethnic
states such as Shan, Mon, Kachin, Karen and Karenni are rebelling against the Burmese
regime because they want to have self-governance, the right to govern their national affairs
independently. It is the goal of every ethnic armed opposition group.

Q: Then, what is your perspective on a second Panglong congress which Aung San Su
Kyi and other ethnic groups are calling for?

A: It is easy to talk about a second Panglong congress but it will be difficult to implement it. It is
important to understand the mistakes of the first Panglong Agreement. I understand that the
Burman leaders were at fault after the first Panglong Agreement. The Burman leaders did not
keep their promises. In the agreement, the Burmans agreed not to interfere with the ethnic
internal affairs, but the Burmese leaders used military forces and abused Shan State people
continuously. And this was the biggest mistake. Therefore, it would  not be easy to implement a
second Panglong Agreement.

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‘Today Shan State is already a separate country’

Written by Mizzima News

Monday, 14 February 2011 15:11 - Last Updated Monday, 14 February 2011 17:21

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