When our group returned to the legal fold, government rendered all assistance to us

Yangon, 11 June — U Saw Tha Mu He, a local national race leader of Haungthayaw Region Peace Group on 9 June explained matters on why his group exchanged arms for peace after separating from KNU, assistance rendered by the State for the development of the region and cooperation with the people to the members of study tour of Kayin State, South-East Command in Phayagon in Nyein Gyan Yay Myothit.

The following is the clarification of U Saw Tha Mu He:

I am U Saw Tha Mu He. I was KNU brigade-6 battalion-16 commanding officer. The government stopped operations. The KNU leaders declined peace negotiation. Although KNU leaders declined the peace talks, our group met Vice-Senior General Maung Aye in Kyeik village on 22 February 1997 and exchanged arms for peace with 496 families and 283 assorted arms on 24 February the same year.

The government had held out an olive branch to KNU. I know that the government stopped operations on 28 April 1992 in Kayin State. In doing so, KNU leaders continued to decline the peace offer. The KNU leaders held peace talks with the government in 1995-96. But The KNU exploited the peace negotiation. They did not want us to hold peace talks with the government to prevent the followers at grassroots level from breaking away.

They told us that they would continue to discuss the peace offer. In fact, they were unwilling to seek peace. The KNU leaders always forced us to fight a war. Finally, I met with Col Han Tint of 22 LID and Abha in 1997. I later met with Commander of 22 LID Brig-Gen Maung Maung Thein and Commander of South-East Command Maj-Gen Ket Sein.

When our group returned to the legal fold, the government rendered assistance to us. Housing, transport, health and education facilities were provided. The government spent over K 176.694 million on such facilities. In addition, the government provided K 890,000 per month to our children to pursue education conveniently.

I also get a chance to attend the National Convention. I will continue to take part in the government’s endeavours for building up a new nation.

I will continue to explain how KNU groups have opened refugee camps. In reality, they have forced the locals to go to the camps. Opening the refugee camps is for their own interests. Their families are better off under the wicked plans. Although their children can pursue education in some foreign nations in cooperation with internal insurgent groups, the grassroots levels do not have such opportunities. I have known that KNU, in cooperation with internal and external destructive elements, has often committed destructive acts in the big cities. In bomb blasts in Yangon, a lot of innocent people were injured and killed. There were some bomb blasts in Bago and Mawlamyine.

If there are no refugee camps, KNU can no longer stand. KNU can have food and their children have a chance to go to schools of some foreign nations by opening refugee camps. With the help of some foreign nations, there are a lot of children who are going to the schools in Australia and other countries.

After we returned to the legal fold, KNU committed destructive acts in our region. There had been about 22 times.

My two daughters and two grandchildren were killed by a group led by Kyi Lin of 8th battalion. So were a retired teacher, two Sgt of our group and the children of a Sgt.

If you do not believe it, you can ask my youngest daughter who lost an arm. She was admitted to Mawlamyine Hospital for the medical treatment. She was also injured. At that time, she was ten and could not go to school. Now, she has sat for matriculation. KNU has opened fire on us. So far, there have been 22 times.

About 40 members including officers and other ranks were killed and villagers were no exception. For example, there was a teacher namely Daw Za Mine in Phawkalawphi, where she was married. Kayin nationals in Phawkalawphi cannot well speak in Myanmar language.

So the villagers appointed her head of the village. She got along with our members. That made her dead. It was a true story you can observe the list of the dead persons.