Statement on the 6th Central Standing Committee Emergency Meeting

Karen National Union (KNU) Headquarters | November 10, 2018

The 6th Central Standing Committee Emergency meeting of Karen National Union (KNU) was held from 6th to 10th November, 2018 in Lay fah, Hpa-an District. Eighty-eight participants, including Central Executive Committee members, Central Standing Committee members, High-Ranking Military Representatives from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and special invitees, attended the meeting.

During the meeting, the arrangements and agreements of the top leaders meeting that was held in Naypyitaw on 15th to 16th October, 2018 were reviewed, mainly concentrating on the strengths and weaknesses of the implementation of the peace process.

Implementation of the NCA without common understanding among the stakeholders in the peace process is now the issue is necessary to solve. However, stakeholders are avoiding solving the issues that are developing repeating contradictions. Implementation of parts of the NCA is hindered. To cope with this situation, solution-seeking negotiation must be held.

The current peace process faces obstacles in implementing national reconciliation and trust building. We believe that to overcome those obstacles, the issues of the trust building mechanisms, common visions, shared values and national reconciliation must be built among the stakeholders.

However, during the period of seeking the solutions of political issues by political means, the government and Tatmadaw submitted the issues of non-secession and the single army as negotiation preconditions which were not included in the NCA agreement. This implies that the government and Tatmadaw will continue the negotiation of topics agreed to in the NCA with the Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) only if the newly submitted preconditions are accepted by the EAOs.

Moreover, the conflicts are continuing in the ethnic areas due to the violations of the ceasefire agreements and limitations created during political negotiations. The design of political dialogue based on all-inclusiveness in the absence of various forms of limitations and blockage is the only way that can lead to the formation of Democratic Federal Union.

It is not sufficient for only Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) signatories to be involved in the process of crafting the democratic and federal principles, but the other EAOs that have not yet been allowed to participate must also be included in political dialogue. Only then will it be possible to form a Democratic Federal Union that represents everyone and to realize sustainable peace.

Since 2012, the KNU has committed to ceasefire with the government in order to seek the solution to political issues not by arms but by peaceful means, and the KNU remains committed to put effort toward achieving sustainable peace.

The KNU abides by the NCA agreements which include to build the Democratic Federal Union that has equality and full self-determination according to the result of political dialogue and the KNU believe that there must be a single interpretation of those agreements. In attempting the meaningful participation in the implementation of the peace process and in order to participate in the process by the entire organization with unity, the organization will postpone the attendance of formal meetings temporarily. However, the KNU will engage in informal meetings in order to seek the solution.

Contact:
P’doh Saw Tah Doh Moo (Secretary-General)
(+ 66 646 459 113, + 95 9795887085)
(Email: klomoo@yahoo.com)