Kachin News Group / BNI Online | May 30, 2018

The government, the Tatmadaw, and the signatories of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) will meet again in Yangon on May 30-31 to find solutions to overcome the deadlocks in the political and security policies in the peace process.

The Chin National Front (CNF)’s vice-chair Dr. Salai Lian Hmung Sakhong said ethnic leaders made the decision during the 20th meeting of the signatories’ Peace Process Steering Team (PPST), which was held in Chaing Mai, Thailand on May 27-28.

He explained that the EAOs want democracy, national equality, self-determination including basic federal principles, distribution of power between the union and the state, and the right to draft a federal constitution while the Tatmadaw is holding on to the non-secession policy.

“We are trying to find the solution to overcome this,” he said.

The NCA signatories are in a dispute with the government and the Tatmadaw over the issue of signing the non-secession agreement and the government and the political sector informal talk committee and the Tatmadaw and the security sector informal talk committee met separately on May 18 and 19.

However, both sides are in a deadlock and they are unable to continue the implementation of the peace process, Dr Salai Lian Hmung Sakhong continued.

“We are in a deadlock because we are demanding equality and self-determination and basic federal principles on our side and the Tatmadaw is demanding non-secession on their side. In our opinion, whether or not we secede from the union is not concerned with the basic federal principles. That’s why we believe it shouldn’t be discussed in our basic federal principle group,” he explained.

He pointed out that the upcoming third session of the Union Peace Conference cannot be held in June if the EAOs and the government and the Tatmadaw are unable to overcome the obstacles.

“If we hold the conference without overcoming the obstacles, it would be a waste of time and effort if the conference cannot produce an outcome. We worry that we would be disrespecting the public’s expectation

[if we are unable to produce an outcome]. That’s why we want to try to find the solution to overcome the obstacles. We want good answers and outcomes to be produced if the conference is held,” he said.

During the two-day meeting, outcomes from the informal talk with the government and the Tatmadaw were presented to the ethnic leaders and a discussion on the political aims and procedures of the government was held.

The NCA signatories plan to overcome the difficulties they are currently facing by holding informal talks in order to continue the implementation of the peace process.

“We are trying to overcome the difficulties and prevent the peace process from falling through. We will continue to strive for peace, which is desired by everyone. We will continue the discussion to obtain internal peace, end the civil war, and build a federal union, which fully guarantees the rights of democracy, national equality and self-determination as stated in the NCA,” he added.

Currently, ten EAOs have signed the NCA, namely the Karen National Union (KNU), the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), the All Burma Student’s Democratic Front (ABSDF), the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), the Chin National Front (CNF), the Karen National Liberation Army – Peace Council (KNLA – PC), the New Mon State Party (NMSP), and the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU).

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This article originally appeared on BNI Online on May 30, 2018.

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