Central Executive Committee Emergency Meeting Statement

Statement by United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) | January 27, 2017

The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) Central Executive Committee emergency meeting was held from January 23 to 25, 2017 at a location on the Thai-Burma border. At the meeting, matters relating to future programs, including the current peace building and political dialogue processes, were discussed and the following position statement was issued.

1. Since the civil war taking place in our union for nearly 70 years is based on political problem, the UNFC has been striving to resolve the problem consistently by political means. Though the Myanmar Tatmadaw (Military) has allowed some ethnic armed resistance organizations to participate in the entire period of negotiation process for achieving the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), as it has blocked them from signing the agreement, the ceasefire still cannot progress on to the nationwide level, up to this day.

2. The proposal, submitted to Pyithu Hluttaw (House of Representatives) in December 2016 to brand as terrorist organizations, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), dismally failed to receive enough vote for approval. However, the Myanmar Tatmadaw representatives submitted this failed proposal to the Shan State Hluttaw and had it approved, one way or another. With that approval, the Myanmar Tatmadaw, calling the said organizations as terrorists and launching more military offensives under various pretexts, is working to destroy the negotiation process deliberately.

3. Moreover, to make the unjust and oppressive military offensives which it has been launching appear as a just war, Myanmar Tatmadaw has been organizing activities, terming them as mass meetings in support of just war, widely in cities all over Burma/Myanmar, in like manner as acts of the SPDC. At the same time, mass movements calling for stopping of the war have been springing up. Confrontations and violent clashes are occurring between those calling for “stopping-of-the-war” and supporters of Myanmar Tatmadaw’s military offensives.

4. We strongly condemn all activities to intensify divisiveness among the people and to destroy the negotiation process systematically by branding of the acts of self-defense as terrorism.

5. With a view to the interest of the country and the people, we will continue to work through dialogue and negotiation, so long as the path of dialogue and negotiation is open. We will participate and cooperate with positive approach in the pragmatic realization of the NLD government’s “Seven-Point Principle for National Reconciliation and Peace in the Union.”

Central Executive Committee
United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC)

Contacts:

Nai Hong Sar – Vice Chairman Phone: +66(0)80-503-0849
Khu Oo Reh – General Secretary Phone: +66(0)84-805-1344