The Palaung Land Website

Posted By admin on April 6, 2008

Mai Aik Pan, 40 was a spiritual leader of Palaung people in exile who allegedly died in Moulmein prison by the torment of military regime. He was arrested by the military intelligence in 1st October 2001, in Myawaddy near the Thai-Burma gate while he was working as an underground movement. Then he was sentenced to seven years in Moulmein prison by the Unlawful Association Act 17/1.

Mai Aik Pan (1962-2002) died on July 31, 2002 in Moulmein prison

Mai Aik Pan was healthy when he was arrested; however he was taking to the Moulmein hospital in 30th July 2002 and died the day after of ascetics according to the letter from the prison authority to his family.

Mai Aik Pan joined the Palaung state liberation party (PSLF) since 1984. In 1986 he was decreed to go to the center Headquarters of the National Democratic front (NDF) to serve as a representative of the Palaung State Liberation Party (PSLP) in Karen National Union (KNU) Manerplaw headquarter.

In April 1991, the Palaung State Liberation Party and the Palaung State Liberation Army, which were his mother organizations, were forced to make a cease-fire agreement with the military regime. But he believes that making the cease-fire agreement with the military regime will not bring peace to the Palaung people, he continued to fight against the Burmese military regime in order to get self-determination, to restore genuine peace and democracy in Burma.

For this reason, some of the Palaung leaders and young Palaung people including Mai Aik Pan were negotiation with the NDF delegation and they agreed to found the Palaung State Liberation front in Jan 12, 1992. Since then, he had been acting as a National Front Center Executive Committee member. Moreover, he was still a chair member of the NDF center-working group until his arrest.

Mai Aik Pan was also elected to be a joint-secretary of the PSLF in the first time of PSLF seminar in year 2000 when they were founding the new center working committee for PSLF. He was a leader who organizing and bringing young Palaung people from inside to the liberated area and helping them to found the Palaung associations in liberated area such as the Palaung Women Organization (PWO) and the Palaung Youth Network Group (PYNG). He had been building a bridge between Palaung people inside and the international community.

Young Palaung people in exile truly believe that the reason Mai Aik Pan died is because there is lack of food, accommodation, and improper medical treatment when he was ill and was treated badly when the prison authority investigated him. It is a deeply failure for the whole Palaung people loosing Mai Aik Pan to the military regime and not event only Palaung people also the whole people in Burma that want freedom and democracy.

The PSLF, Palaung people in Palaung state, his friends and colleagues are very grieving for the lost of Mai Aik Pan. Moreover, we highly appreciate and honor him for his cooperation with other revolution organization, his comrade-in-arms, and his colleagues and for his being very active in working to restore democracy in Burma during his revolution duration.

Categories: OBITUARIES
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