The following is the full text of the message sent by State Administration Council Chairman Prime Minister of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Senior General Thadoe Maha Thray Sithu Thadoe Thiri Thudhamma Min Aung Hlaing to the ceremony to mark the 77th Anniversary of Shan State Day, today.
Esteemed ethnic national brethren in Shan State,
I extend my greetings and best wishes to all national people from Shan State and the entire nation for physical and mental well-being with peace and prosperity on the 77th Anniversary of Shan State Day, which falls on 7 February today.
Shan State is larger than any other region or state and home to the most significant number of ethnics. Shan State, where Shan tribes such as Shan, Palaung, Pa-O, Wa, Danu, Kokang, Lahu,
Arkha and Inntha, together with many other ethnics such as Kachin, Kayah and Lisu, have been residing together in unison for many years with their relevant own culture and customs, is blessed with beautiful scenes of the natural environment.
It is a state with favourable climatic conditions where hill stations are located. In addition to natural lakes and prolonged urbanization, Stone Age cultural heritage such as Pyadalin Cave, Loiwun Cave, and many limestone caves can be seen in Shan State with various cultures and characters of ethnic groups and abundant natural resources.
The emergence of the Shan State Day is concerned with the history that highlights national unity in the nation’s struggle for independence. It is because the British attempted to continue implementing the divide-and-rule policy for keeping hilly regions under its colonial rule even if they had to give independence to Myanmar.
British invited the Myanmar delegation led by General Aung San in 1947 to London and talked about the future issues of Myanmar. General Aung San demanded that they give independence to Myanmar and all hilly regions, including Shan State, simultaneously. The Executive Council of the Shan Feudal Council objected that General Aung San did not represent Saophas, but leaders of the Shan State People’s Freedom League held rallies in Taunggyi and adopted decisions that only General Aung San was representative of hilly people. When they sent a telegram fully supporting General Aung San, the agreement (Aung San-Atlee Agreement) could be signed.
During the period from 3 to 6 February 1947, Saophas, who were members of the executive committee of the council and Shan public delegates held talks, and Shan, Kachin and Chin delegates formed the subcommittee on 7 February and signed the meeting decisions to take independence together with the mainland of Myanmar.
As such, as a gesture of honouring the 7 February when leaders of Shan, Kachin and Chin ethnics adopted the decisions to take independence together with the mainland of Myanmar, such a significant day was designated to hold the Shan State Day for 77 years. Hence, Shan State Day is a prominent day concerned with the entire Myanmar people and all ethnicities adopting the provisions of the Panglong Agreement, which is basic for the historic Union Day.
Now is the time for all to walk on the correct path in harmony by taking lessons from past events in order to ensure the perpetuation of the sovereignty of the State and to develop the nation. Varieties of ethnic national brethren have been residing in the Union of Myanmar for many years with serenity and prestige. However, the whole of Myanmar fell under colonial rule after fighting the three aggressive wars. So, Myanmar was exploited for more than 100 years.
Although the country has been independent for more than 70 years, it is suffering from the evil legacy of the divide-and-rule policy of British colonialists. All ethnic people in the entire nation, including Shan ethnics, fought against the oppression of colonialists with sacrifice of life, blood and sweat with patriotic spirit and regained independence. However, it is noticeable that the evil legacy of the divide-and-rule policy has been triggering the disintegration of the national unity in the Union, causing internal armed conflicts till today.
Especially attempts to cause armed conflicts, clashes, unrest, and violent attacks in ethnic areas, including Shan State, bring plights to local ethnic people. Moreover, everybody needs to accept and review that such conflicts can deteriorate local peace and stability as well as the development process in addition to harming the State.
As terrorists not only focus on their interests but commit deterioration of local peace and stability and destroy pagodas, stupas, as well as roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and buildings, residents are experiencing myriad hardships. Hence, now is the time for all stakeholders and ethnic people to deeply consider the prevalence of peace and stability and forging durable peace. I would like to urge everyone that if they do so late, they will face greater disadvantages, and the country will face danger.
Currently, the State Administration Council is striving to forge peace and stability, improve socioeconomic life, restore durable peace across the nation, and build a Union based on democracy and federalism. The council is implementing two political visions: strengthening the genuine, disciplined multiparty democratic system and building a Union based on democracy and federalism.
As such, all ethnic nationalities in the Union have to build the Union based on democracy and federalism with the Union spirit through mutual understanding and unity. National unity is very important because our country was built with a Union system. I want to stress that forging the Union spirit is essential for unity among all ethnic nationalities.
The genuine aspiration of all ethnic people residing in Myanmar is to ensure peace and stability, rule of law, socioeconomic development and food security. The government, on its part, is implementing the national vision: ensuring the prosperity of the State and food sufficiency. While striving for improvement of agriculture and livestock breeding sectors, the government is implementing all-round development of other businesses. Primarily, as it is necessary to boom micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises based on agriculture and livestock farms, ethnic people in Shan State need to emphasize greater development of MSME businesses in order to develop socioeconomy.
Esteemed national people,
All ethnic people, including youths, have knowledge, technology, and the capacity for critical thinking to build a Union based on democracy and federalism. The government is implementing a comprehensive education system to turn out human resources necessary for nation-building tasks. As education is a basic foundation for the development of the nation, efforts are being made to create the learning opportunity for all school-age children to pursue education and to complete the KG+9 scheme of at least middle school education and acquire vocational education such as industrial, agriculture and livestock farming tasks at the middle school level.
It can be seen that the learning opportunities are less in ethnic areas, including rural areas and border regions. Hence, the government is making efforts to enhance the education sector across the nation. Nurturing the youth is vital to making future generations have a national spirit and patriotic spirit in addition to knowledge and technology with a high capacity of rationality to differentiate between right and wrong and between good and bad. As such, I would like to urge all to nurture the youths to become new generations capable of defending the future State.
In conclusion, as armed conflicts in the country and all attacks and disturbances can lead to the disintegration of the nation and utter devastation of all ethnic people, I would like to send this message, urging all stakeholders to protect the State and the people with the patriotic spirit and national spirit and nurture new generation youths of the nation to become precious human resources, with best wishes for entire Shan State to be peaceful, prosperous and developed in all aspects and for all ethnic people to enjoy improvement of socioeconomic life.
Senior General
Thadoe Maha Thray Sithu
Thadoe Thiri Thudhamma
Min Aung Hlaing
Prime Minister
Chairman,
State Administration Council
