Realities in Burma
SIR.—It was kind of you to publish the comments of " Onlooker" on my letter of June 6th. I am sorry that my letter failed to convey its simple theme to the correspondent: this was that, whatever happened in Burma, the suggestion made by Sir Percival Griffiths that the Burma Government did not show a willingness to " do a deal " with the Karens was not quite well-founded.
I have heard the stories related by " Onlooker " before, but do not have his courage to assert their truth. When confusion reigns and passions become feverish, when the normal channels of information are choked by unexpected mishaps, and rumours in all their -excitement run un- checked, the stories we hear must needs be weighed with care before they are accepted. Time will tell the truth, and till then we shall have to wait. Besides, the Karen affair is not so simple that judgement can be- passed on it summarily ; it is not the straightforward case of the wrong- doer and the wronged. In fact, it is not just a case for judgement: it is a mighty drama of man in his many emotions, in his weakness and strength, blundering through right and wrong. The drama must be seen, and seen with sincere feeling, from the rise of the curtain to its fall.
We do injustice to your hospitality in trying to tell odd snatches of
what is a long story, and I hope I may close the correspondence by quoting a relevant eteerpt from The Times report on Burma of July 11th: " No one knows how many thousand Karens are under arms is the Karenni country, but a section of them has been making p.tice overtures recently, and the Government seems determined to Jtfer them reasonable and even generous terms. In the Delta area another group of Karen rebels has already made its peace with the Government and its members are helping to police the area."
Previous page
