Kachin Region: War Torn Displaced Village Profiles

By Relief Action Network for IDP and Refugee • July 3, 2015

The country of Myanmar has been plagued by bitter experience of civil war and successive brutal regimes since the pre and post-independence era. The country gained independence from British colony in 1948 and a union of Myanmar was formed based on the principles enshrined in historic Panglong agreement signed by ethnic representatives from Kachin, Shan, Chin and Burmese. Karen and Mon started their ethnic armed struggle since pre-independence time. This was followed sooner or later by other ethnic people in the country, including Kachin in 1960 after they felt that their political aspirations outlined in the historic Panglong agreement were ignored and curtailed by Burmese government at that time which continuously perpetuated by successive governments after that. But not surprisingly the military government that took power after popular democratic movement of 1988 led by students started to make ceasefire agreements with armed groups one after another since 1989. KIO had signed ceasefire agreement in 1994 that lasted for seventeen years.