A leadership delegation from the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S) flew to Switzerland on 15 January for a ten-day exposure trip to Switzerland, according to representatives from the organisation.
This is the first such international trip for the RCSS/SSA-S, the trip's theme is “Power Sharing and Federalism: Comparative Experiences.”
The delegation of 14, which includes RCSS/SSA-S commander-in-chief Lt.-Gen. Yawd Serk, advisors, and members of education, health, peace, foreign affairs and anti-narcotics departments, were invited to the country by the Swiss ambassador in Yangon. They hope to gain further insight into Switzerland’s federal government system—specifically, how power is allocated between a central government and the country’s 26 'cantons' or states, and 'communes' or municipalities.
Khuensai Jaiyen, an adviser to the RCSS/SSA-S, said that the group is interested in “study[ing] not only about federal and state level governments, but also about local governments.”
During stays in four cities—Bern, Geneva, Montreux and Murten—the delegation will also meet representatives from international NGOs and study Swiss departments of defence, development, economics, education and healthcare.
The visit overlaps with Burma’s Union Peace Conference (UPC) in Naypyidaw, where talks are being held from 12 to 16 January. RCSS/SSA-S representatives said that while Lt.-Gen. Yawd Serk is in Switzerland, a negotiating team from the organization will still remain at the UPC.
The UPC was described by National League for Democracy (NLD) chairperson Aung San Suu Kyi as an “acknowledgement of the completion of the NCA [Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement].”
The RCSS/SSA-S is one of Burma’s more than 20 ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), and one of eight EAOs to sign the NCA.
Though 700 representatives from the government, parliament, military, political parties and ethnic armed groups attended the UPC it was boycotted by many EAOs who did not sign the NCA, including another major Shan EAO, the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army-North (SSPP/SSA-N), who were invited to attend the NCA as observers.
Representatives from several non-Shan ethnic groups in Shan State, including the Wa and Ta'ang, at the UPC called for various areas within Shan State to be allowed to secede from Shan State.
Khuensai Jaiyen said that this makes studies of federalism particularly urgent and he hopes that the study trip to Switzerland will benefit both Shan State and Burma.
By STAFF / Shan Herald Agency for News (S.H.A.N)
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
