The predominantly Buddhist Palaung are famous in Burma for growing high quality tea. The Palaung took up arms against the Burmese military regime in 1963 to demand greater autonomy, but the main resistance army; the Palaung State Liberation Army (PSLA) signed a ceasefire with the SLORC in April 1991.

Some PSLA members broke away to form the Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF) in 1992. The following is an interview with Mai Aik Phone, leader of the PSLF:

Q. Why did the Palaung agree to a ceasefire with the SLORC in 1991?

A. They had no choice. After the collapse of the Communist Party in 1989, all the armies around the Palaung made ceasefires — the Kachin 4th Brigade, the Shan State Army, the Kokang, the United Wa State Army.

The Palaung was the only group Left, so there was great pressure from the SLORC. They started terrorizing the Palaung civilian population. They burned down villages, and in early 1991 they captured 3 Palaung monks from the village of Teach and put them in sacks and burned them alive. The Palaung people begged their leaders to agree to a ceasefire, so they finally gave in.

Q. Have there been any benefits for the Palaung people since the ceasefire?

A. The Palaung living in the areas controlled by the PSLA (around Namhsan and Mantong) has been left alone by the SLORC. But that is only one part of the Palaung population.

The Palaung living in other areas of Shan State are suffering from human rights abuses like everyone else. They are being used as porters, forced labor, and many were forcibly relocated last year. The PSLA has not been given any political rights by the SLORC.

They can only carry out some business in their area. They have been attending the SLORC’s so-called National Convention, but they know it is a farce. It is humiliating for them to be referred to by the SLORC as a “peace” group, and to have to put up the SLORC flag in their offices.

This is to trick people into thinking that real peace has come to the Palaung area. In fact, we know it is a false peace that is why we broke away to form the PSLF.

Q. What is the aim of your front?

A. We want true peace, democracy and human rights for the Palaung people. We also want self-determination. To achieve this we must cooperate with the other ethnic groups and Burmese pro-democracy groups to oppose the SLORC.

We also want to spread information about what is really happening to the Palaung people to the outside world. We have recently set up a human rights committee.

Q. What problems are you facing?

A. Many problems. We used to be based at the Karen Headquarters of Manerplaw, but this was captured by the SLORC in 1995. From the Thai border, it is also difficult to travel to the Palaung area. There are several thousand Palaung refugees in Thailand, mostly from central and southern Shan State.

They have fled to Thailand over the last 18 years to escape fighting and forced recruitment into local armies. Unfortunately, there has been little publicity about this. Some people do not even know that any Palaung refugees exist.

Q. Do you think there is any danger that Palaung culture will disappear?

A. The longer that SLORC remains in power, the longer this danger exists for all ethnic groups. There are trying to assimilate everyone into the Burma culture. Until recently the teaching of ethnic languages was banned in schools.

Now they have started allowing some languages to be taught in schools, but we know this is just a cosmetic move to make it look as if they are promoting ethnic culture. In fact, proper rights must be given to the ethnic peoples so that they can safeguard their own culture. Until this happens, instability and fighting will continue, which is a major threat to indigenous culture.

For example, the Palaung refugees in Thailand are now forgetting their old customs. And how will all the Palaung villagers recently relocated from the hills to large relocation sites by the SLORC be able to maintain their culture?

We need real peace and the right to establish our own state to ensure that our culture survives.