Manerplaw Agreement to Establish a Federal Union of Burma

31 Junly 1992

Burma is a country where indigenous nationalities have lived together in adjacent territories for the last several millenia. It belongs to all indigenous nationalities.

Only when a true Federal structure is established based on the desires and aspirations of all the indigenous nationalities will Burma stand united and stable. With this intention, General Aung San and indigenous leaders signed the Pang Long Agreement on February 12, 1949. But that agreement was never enacted in practice.

Currently because of the chauvinistic behavior of the fascist military dictatorship of the Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) and the State Law and Restoration Council (SLORC), the indigenous nationalities are deprived of their ethnic rights. Democracy and basic Human Rights of the people are also abused. National unity has been destroyed and civil war is going on unabated.

Thus, indigenous nationalities and all the peoples must topple the military dictatorship and set up a true Federal Union where equality, right of self-determination, democracy and basic Human Rights are guaranteed.

To attain equality, freedom, unity, security, fraternity, trust and development in the Federal Union, the main tasks which are necessary are to topple the SLORC military dictatorship and to establish democracy, peace and true Federal Union. To achieve these aims, the:

National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB)
National League for Democracy, Liberated Area (NLD-LA)
Democratic Alliance of Burma (DAB), and National Democratic Front (NDF)
have resolutely agreed to the following at Manerplaw on July 31, 1992.

We will struggle together to end Chauvinism and the fascist military dictatorship of the SLORC.
After ending the SLORC military dictatorship and when freedom and peace are attained, a true national convention involving all indigenous nationalities and all political parties will be convened.
We will draw up a true Federal Union constitution in accordance with the desires of indigenous nationalities and all peoples.
We will follow the principles that no nationality shall have special privileges and no restrictions will be imposed on the basic rights of any nationality or minority in the Union.
We will build a Federal Union where all indigenous nationalities enjoy equality, rights of self-determination, democracy and basic Human Rights to the fullest extent. In doing so:

a. The Kachin, Karen, Chin, Mon, Burman, Arakan, Shan poeples, etc. will have National States.incorporated in a Federal Union of States.

b. The National States will assign certain power to the Federal Union and the remaining powers will be exercised by the National States including legislative, administrative and judicial powers.

c. The Federal Union will consist of two houses of Parliament: The National Assembly (Upper House) and The People's Assembly (Lower House).

d. In accordance with the principle of civilian supremacy over the military the Federal Union and State armies will be put under the direct supervision of the Elected Governments.

e. The legislative, administrative and judicial branches of the Federal Union Government will be checked and balanced in power, and the judiciary will be independent.

f. The Constitution will be designed to prevent any re-emergence of Chauvinism and fascist dictatorship in the future.

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