The four-day mission of UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari has been long awaited with the hope that it would pave the way to tripartite dialogue, peace and national reconciliation, while also bringing an end to the current crackdown against the pro-democracy movement in Burma.

It was good that Gambari met with Aung San Suu Kyi and Snr-Gen Than Shwe, but it was unfortunate that he failed to meet with leaders of ethnic political groups.

Two prominent ethnic leaders are now detained.

Cin Sian Thang, whose is in ill health, was detained for the seventh time on September 28 at 4:15 a.m. As the chairman of the Zomi National Congress, the spokesperson for the United Nationalities Alliance and a member of the Committee Representing People’s Parliament, he and his colleague, Thein Pe (National League for Democracy), wrote an important article, “In Burma: A Cry For UN Help,” that was published in the Washington Post on October 26, 2006.

Thawng Kho Thang, also a member of the CRPP and the United Nationalities League for Democracy, was detained for a second time on the same day at 1 a.m. While attending the junta’s National Convention in 1993, Thawng Kho Thang walked out of the proceedings when he saw it would lead to a form of authorized dictatorship.

Both ethnic leaders are being held at an unknown location.

Even though Aye Thar Aung, the secretary of CRPP and joint-secretary of the Arakan League for Democracy, and Nai Htun Thein (a member of CRPP, a spokesperson of the United Nationalities Alliance and chairman of the Mon National Democratic Front) were not detained, both leaders are threatened by the current unrest.

Other ethnic leaders, including Hkun Htun Oo, the chairman of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, along with eight Shan leaders were accused of attempting to form the “Shan State Academics Consultative Council” and have been under unlawful arrest by the military government since 2005. They were sentenced to more than 100 years imprisonment. While serving his sentence, Myint Than of the New Generation Shan State group died of torture in Sandoway Prison on May 2, 2006.

Two months ago, on August 1, 2007, some 92 members of the parliament-elect and CRPP wrote a paper: “National Reconciliation and Democratization in Myanmar/Burma” as a proposed way to modify the junta’s seven-step road map and the proposal has been sent to Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general. The statement has been widely accepted by a wide range of pro-democracy activists.

However, for now we must leave the problems of the past behind.

Now is the time for the UN to play a role, to help stop  the crackdown and to facilitate a new process of national reconciliation before it is too late.

The best way for that process to succeed is for the talks to include the major elements of the pro-democracy movement and ethnic political leaders.

Zo Nun Chin is a leading ethnic activist in Burma