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ETHNIC ISSUE: A hawker in Yangon selling copies of Myanmar's new charter, which is said to marginalise ethnic groups other than the Burmans. -- PHOTO: AFP
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BANGKOK - MYANMAR risks perpetuating internal conflict under the proposed Constitution, which perpetuates the marginalisation of ethnic groups other than Burmans, warns Dr Lian H. Sakhong, general secretary of the Ethnic Nationalities Council.
'For us, (Myanmar's) political crisis is rooted in constitutions... based on denial of ethnic identity,' Dr Sakhong said in a panel discussion on the Constitution at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand.
Myanmar's ruling junta has been at war with - or at best at prickly peace with - a number of ethnic groups in its border regions for much of its existence.
Some 60 per cent of the country are considered ethnic homelands by the various groups which range from the Chin - to which Dr Sakhong belongs - to Kachin, Karen, Wa, Shan and others.
About 40 per cent of the population of the country comprise ethnic groups other than Burmans, who are the majority in the central plains region including Yangon.
Under the Constitution which is being put to a referendum next Saturday, Burmese would be the sole official language of the entire country, Dr Sakhong noted, thereby denying non-Burman ethnic groups part of their identity.
These ethnic groups will 'become second-class citizens', he added. 'This is dangerous.'
'(Identity) is the reason why we ethnic groups have been taking up arms for 50 years. So the civil war will unfortunately continue,' he added.
But he also said it was possible that some of the ethnic groups would form political parties to fight the subsequent election scheduled for 2010.
The Ethnic Nationalities Council has called for ethnic groups to reject the Constitution. The council is based in Thailand, and comprises representatives of ethnic minorities in Myanmar.
While the junta's ministers are reportedly travelling the country urging a 'yes' vote - and campaigning against the Constitution is punishable with a fine or jail term - the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) has called for a 'no' vote.
NLD spokesman Win Naing was quoted by the Chiang Mai-based Irrawaddy journal this week as saying members of the party were travelling too, to explain that 'people should vote against the unjust and undemocratic Constitution in the referendum'.
Analysts remain convinced that, even if the referendum is rejected by voters, the junta will be able to manipulate the results to show a 'yes' vote.
Professor Win Min, a lecturer at Payap University in Chiang Mai, said the referendum was being conducted in an atmosphere of 'intimidation and threats' and itself was 'not inclusive'.
Myanmar analyst Aung Naing Oo, also based in Chiang Mai, said: 'Nothing is certain. If the vote was free, they (voters) would vote 'no'. But the military is ready, and it is a military process.'
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