Daw Chin Chin, the Director of the NBF said: “For the first point, we discussed domestic peace as the main topic.The second point was a discussion of how the NBF goes ahead with its strategy as the 2015 election draws close. Now, there aren’t lots of people and organisations that want to cause dissension among NBF members. But joining with the NBF, the member parties based in respective states mainly discuss how the NBF will be able to form a government in their own respective states."

Topics covered at the conference included: the current situation of politics, equal rights for ethnic groups, rights for all people, the sharing of natural resources, and the circumstances of the 2015 election.

During the conference the NBF released a statement that urged the drawing up of a framework for political dialogue immediately after the signing of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) and for a political conference to be held before the 2015 general election.

The statement also called for the amendment, before the 2015 election, of article 261. This stipulates that the president chooses the chief minister for each state or region and that 25 percent of regional MPs are appointed from the army.

Nai Kon Chan, a central committee member of the All Mon Regions Democracy Party (AMDP) said: “In Mon State, there are thirty-one Hluttaw (parliamentary) representatives. Of thirty-one, twenty-three representatives were elected representatives, while eight representatives were not elected, rather they were directly [appointed] from the army. So, in order to have all thirty-one representatives elected by their respective areas, article 261 must be fixed and then it will become a genuine federal union."

The 23rd conference, took place at the Rehmonnya Hotel, in Moulmein Capital, attracting about fifty representatives of NBF’s member parties from respective states, while members of the AMDP, were also in attendance.

Edited in English for BNI by Mark Inkey