We, the members of the Central Committee of NUPA and the Senior Commanders of Arakan Army held a meeting from 2 to 8 of May 2005 and unanimously agreed to recognize and support in principle on the declaration of Shan States Independence by the Shan Elders on 17 April 2005 . We agreed that historically they have legitimate right to declare Independence of Shan States to protest their land and their people from the danger of extinction. Why?
The newly merged union of Burma on 4 th January 1948 was one of the “New Nations” of post WW II, focused on the Panglong Agreement signed by Aung San as Head of the Burmese Government and the leaders of Federated Shan States , the Kachin Hills and the Chin Hills on 12 February 1947 . The Panglong Agreement guaranteed among other things, “Full Autonomy in Internal Administration”, “rights and privilege which are agreed as fundamental in democratic countries for the citizen of frontier Areas. In confidence on the assurance, the signing members of this new nation were the founding members or federating nations of the new union of Burma .
After unilateral abolition of the Agreement and the Union Constitution, General Ne Win imposed the intra-state imperialism in March 1962 and the non-Burman co-federated nations were subjugated into internal Colonies. On the other word, there was no more existence of the Panglong Agreement and Union Constitution, and all the non- Burman co-federalist had right to declare Independence or self-determination and sovereignty of their own. (Here the Arakan and the Mon were included inside the Burman Empire as occupied territories. After declaration of the UNO on decolonization in 1960s, the colonies like us conceived in the womb of 3 rd World newly independent countries like Union of Burma underrate to Un-represented or Hidden Colonies. Both hidden and internal colonies are naturally the members of 4 th world countries of un-represented nation and peoples).
If any nation is compelled to integrate, that federal/union will run into an alternative sense. Empire- i.e. Pseudo-federal or Pseudo-union in which self-determination of the component nation and equality among them are totally lost and one nation captures domination by which it profits from the land and labor of dominated nation- the essence of colonialism. In genuine federation, the political problem coming out are and will be solved by broad democratic ways and means but in pseudo-federal/union, a kind of modernizing empire like today Burma empire the Armed suppression is the only way of solution and there a new style of colonialism.
Under the circumstance, the peoples in such pseudo-federal/union states are still discriminated against because of their race, sex, languages, religion and other attributes. They are still suffering from the direct aggression of hidden colonialism and Intra-State Imperialism in which the political domination, economic exploitation, racial discrimination, cultural assimilation persistent denial of human rights and military oppression are prevailing.
Beyond that, the “Burmese official nationalism”, Creation of Economic Centers to Burma proper” and the “ Colonial Assimilation or Burmanization Policy ” of the consecutive ruling Burmese Government, both civilian and Military Junta are the extra-ordinary characteristics of hidden colonialism and Intra-State Imperialism which make more complicate to be solved. And the ethnic cleansing policy has been dragging the oppressed colonies to the terminal of national extinction and loss of homeland ahead. Time passed over half century. Who could give guarantee to our national security and internal integrity? Day by day our future is deteriorating and uncertain.
Such type of pseudo-federal/union cannot exist and maintain peace and unity on the basis of questionable loyalties of its nationals. To eliminate such type of federal/union we should and could replace with a genuine one in which the right of component nations to self-determination, both internal and external, and full equality among them shall be definitely guaranteed first to have complete confidence and brotherly unity. Otherwise, the complete separation of a group or more from the existing pseudo-federal/union may perhaps be unavoidable in situation involving unilateral imposition unrepresentative regimes and persistent denial of internal self-determination.
There will still be room for the creation of new state in the de-colonized era by exercising secession right of self-determination of the oppressed people under certain circumstance like today 5 th Burma Empire. On the other hand, adherence to the territorial integrity of a state will be a fair solution with alternation of most feasible federal system, now the Ethnic Nationalities Council is going on to establish through the tripartite Dialogue by UNO since 1994.
The Central Committee
National United Party of Arakan
Arakan
