Independent Mon News Agency – In response to Burmese President U Thein Sein’s invitation for ethnic armed groups to hold ‘peace talks’ with the concerned State governments in the groups’ respective areas, the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an alliance of ethnic armed groups, has demanded the Union Government announce a countrywide ceasefire and then hold unified peace talks only with the alliance group.
UNFC has clearly stated that it wants the government to call for ‘peace talks’ with ethnic groups. However, it is concerned that the government will implement a ‘divide and rule’ policy if the peace talks are held with ethnic groups individually.
Recently, Karen National Union’s Vice President, Padoh Saw David Tharkabaw, a member of UNFC, told IMNA, “We want a dialogue along with our alliance, and then we will reach peace for the entire country. We will not accept individual peace talks with State governments.”
A letter from the UNFC dated 15 August and sent to President Thein Sein explained that the alliance truly wants peace talk because the 60-year-long civil war has created political instability and has turned resource-rich Burma into a country of ‘least developed status’.
The letter explains, “For the last 60 years, the successive [Burmese] governments have responded to demands for their peoples’ rights with the force of arms, instead of adopting a political means to solve the political problems. This utter failure has led the natural-resource-rich Union of Myanmar to become one of the world’s Least Developed Countries. This has further led to a situation of greater confusion and misunderstandings among the different ethnic groups, with a simmering civil war.”
Recently, the General Secretary of UNFC, Nai Hong Sar, proposed ‘tripartite political dialogue’ between the Union Government, the ethnic groups, and Burma’s pro-democracy opposition as the only opportunity for national reconciliation.
But the UNFC letter dated 15 August did not specifically call for ‘tripartite political dialogue’ at the moment. It demands a countrywide ceasefire, followed by arrangements for ‘peace talks’ at the Union level, not the State level.
Recently, when the Kachin State government held a peace talk with one member of the UNFC, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the KIO stated that they can agree to a ceasefire, but the government needs to promise to hold ‘Union-level peace talks’. However, the representatives from the Kachin State government could not make any agreement or promise. Therefore, the fighting in Kachin State has since escalated.
The UNFC was formed in February 2011, and is composed of six armed groups as permanent members: the Karen National Union (KNU), the New Mon State Party (NMSP), the Chin National Front (CNF), the Kachin Independence Organization, the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), and the Shan State Progressive Party. Other coordinating organizations include the Pa-oh National Liberation Organization (PNLO), the Palaung State Libration Front (PSLF), Arakan National Council (ANC), Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), Wa National Organisation (WNO), and the Kachin National Organization (KNO).
