MoeMaKa, July 20 2022
Burmese Martyrs’ Day and Ethnic Martyrs’ Day
The day when General Aung San whom the Myanmar people regard as a national leader, other ministers, and bodyguard were assassinated by Galon U Saw in 1947, is designated as Martyr’s Day throughout the country, and the sovereign government has been celebrating it every year. Before the Martyr’s Day ceremony, the students were told in the schools that Martyr’s Day was celebrated as a mark of sorrow for the entire country and as a way to remember their gratitude because they were leaders who took the independence of Myanmar.
Although it is true that the assassination of most of the leaders who were part of the cabinet of the government at that time, a few months before the independence of Myanmar, had an impact on the establishment of the country after the Independence of Myanmar, all ethnic groups have different perspectives from the people of the country that Martyrdom is not only for the politics of central Myanmar but also for ethnic groups, but it is rarely understood by central Burmese people.
For example, for the Karen people, Saw Ba Oo Gyi was their national leader, and the day of Saw Ba Oo Gyi fell is considered as Karen Martyrs’ Day. Throughout the era of military influence, Karen Martyr’s Day was celebrated only in the KNU area. However in the period of the NLD government after 2016 and during the discussions on national reconciliation, peace and federal issues, the August 12, when Saw Ba Oo Gyi fell in the battle, was celebrated as Karen Martyr’s Day in Yangon and some cities of Ayeyarwaddy where the Karen people live. And there have been incidents where some of those who arranged the event have been prosecuted and jailed for a few days as unlawful gathering. Although, whether the NLD didn’t want discontent from the Myanmar military, due to the fact that Saw Ba Oo Gyi was killed in the battle fighting against the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Military) at that time, or the NLD government itself in 2019-2020, couldn’t accept Saw Ba Oo as a Karen martyr, ethnic people might also want to designate a certain person as their martyr and should have the right to designate them.
Similarly, Kayah State (Kareni) may have its national martyr, and Chin may have a Chin martyr. For the ethnic groups, at a time when there was discontent over the failure to implement the promises of the Pinlon Treaty before independence, if the martyrs of Myanmar ethnic only were to be regarded as national martyrs for all ethnic groups, then that idea would not promise the value of federal union.
Another piece of news for today is that Saw Nerdah Mya, who was suspended from the KNDO’s Major General, has formed the Karen People’s Army (Kawthoolay Army). Last year, KNDO killed 25 workers at a bridge construction site in Wale Kanelay, Karen State. KNDO’s most responsible Major General was suspended from duty at the end of July, and later Saw Nerdah Mya announced that he did not accept the decision of the KNU Central Committee.
A few days after the KNDO’s Venom columns were involved in the battle to capture Ukritta camp that had been going on for weeks, it was announced that the Karen People’s Army (Kawthoolay Army) had been formed by armed groups apart from the NCA signed armed groups. This announcement is a public sign of the presence of political differences and division of the armed groups within the KNU organization. There may be the case that there are armed forces that do not accept the political leadership of the KNU organization. We will have to wait and see if the group division in the politics and military within KNU, the ethnic armed group that is the main base of the NUG government, will have an impact on NUG as well.