President Thein Sein urges Myanmar citizens to return home

President Thein Sein has urged Myanmar citizens who live in abroad to return home as the country needs skilled workers to help develop the country, Myanmar state owned media reported on Saturday.

This is a second call made by Thein Sein since he became the president of Myanmar.

Several dissidents have returned home to test the new government after Thein Sein called Myanmar citizens in abroad to return home without persecution.

But many dissidents reluctant to return permanently as the country is still under the control of former military members and the country is yet to transform to genuine democracy.

Even though President Thein Sein is a former general it is no doubt that he is genuine in calling his citizens to return home and help for the development of the country.

He has earned the trust of Myanmar’s public including opposition leader Aung San Suu and International community since he has initiated serial of reforms started from last year.

But critics said that he is yet to receive the trust from ethnic groups as his initiative peace talk is yet to be achieved.

Myanmar has been in civil war for more than five decades since it gained independent from Britain. The Burman as country’s majority have been blamed for lack of proper knowledge to lead the country as unnecessary conflicts between ethnic groups and Myanmar army have been fighting for so long.

President Thein Sein seems to aware of this civil war as he has mentioned in his speech last year that “we have wasted our valuable time for more than fifty years”.

As a result thousands of lives from both Burman and Non-Burman have been paid off for the meaningless conflicts instead of sharing the power and value for the country development.

Yet the conflict did not end with only between ethnic groups and Myanmar army it also led to power struggle within the Burman as the country had broken out two fashions, one was communist and the other was democracy as soon as Myanmar gained independent from Britain.

Then thousands of Myanmar citizens with different kind of professional skilled such as doctors, engineers and others who have knowledge in social, economical and political issue have left their country since Myanmar democratic system was ended in 1962 after Former dictator General Ne Win seized power from civilian government.

Since then series of unrest events occurred in Myanmar due to repressive regime used different tactics to torture, rape and killed its own citizens.

The big events such as students uprising in 1988 and in 2007 when thousands of monks and civilians took part in demonstration in Yangon and other part of the country led many talented people leave their country.

Millions of ordinary people also seeks job in neighboring countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and other countries like Japan, South Korea and UAE, because their country became a place of jobless, hopeless and even could be tortured for no reason.

Though many dissidents have made successful in abroad they are expressing that they miss their home and not that happy in abroad due to no choice they have to live in other countries.

Some have suggested that calling Myanmar citizens to return home is not enough, government needs to implement certain law to guarantee for its citizens from abroad. For example, introducing dual citizens law and allowing its citizen to freely utilize their professional skills.

By: Phay Thein