Cease Fire? Maybe Not.

Seems like a bit of the good news from Myanmar reported a few weeks ago (see More Good News From Myanmar) may have been premature. Government announces that it has signed a cease-fire agreement with the Karen National Union guerillas. Three weeks later, the Karen rebels say "We never signed a cease fire. We still need to discuss the conditions". Sigh. Disappointing, but not surprising. [NOTE: Image, by Francis Wade, from the Democratic Voice of Burma, shows a Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) soldier with a rocket launcher. Buddhist army? Interesting concept. Camouflage fatigues and saffron kerchief].

More Good News From Myanmar

Myanmar government releases 651 prisoners, including many prominent political activists from the 1988 protests, signs a cease-fire with Karen rebels, and, in response, the U.S. restores full diplomatic relations with the country. These are all substantial steps in the right direction. Let's hope these developments ultimately translate into a renewal of community forestry in Kachin State (see Naw Aung and His Sagawa and Crossing Mawning Stream).  [NOTE: Image shows Loi Mai (in front) and Aung Bu moving up the Ledo Road in northern Kachin (see A Bridge Too Far)].