The Political Parties said at MPC (Myanmar Peace Center) on November 25 that the Vice-Chairman of Union Peace-Making Work Committee U Aung Min promised that he would present the government with the facts, which were being pointed out by the ethnic armed groups, that that slow down the peace processes such as, ‘the government army’s recruiting works and the battles that keep occurring while Political discussions were doing ’.
The ethnic armed organizations and the political parties met for the first time at Chiang Mai, Thailand on 22nd and 23rd November. The political parties reported the facts that the ethnic people had pointed out during the meeting towards the Union Peace-Making Work Committee at Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) in Yangon on November 25 and the Vice-Chairman U Aung Min promised them to present the facts to the President, according to the political parties.
Some members from certain political parties which to met with U Aung Min at MPC said that they present the points, which have been highlighted by ethnic armed organization members, that slow down the internal peace working processes. They continued that the points are recruiting of Government’s armies, the continual of civil battles while ceasefire agreement discussion meetings are having and the slow implementation of the ceasefire works’.
“We reported the opinions and the statements from the exile ethnic armed organizations(at outside of the country) and local based armed organizations to this side(government) so that the authorities would know and they could be able to do anything needed. We mainly presented about the sharing of power and resources, the issues of the rights of the ethnic people and the federal union and current democratization. U Aung Min promised that he would pass them to the President”, said U Zaw Aye Maung, CEC of Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP) and Rakhine Ethnic Affairs Minister of Yangon Region.
The Political Parties got to know these facts highlighted by ethnic armed groups when they met United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF), National League of Democracy – Liberated Area (NLD–LA) and Shan civil societies at Chiang Mai conference.
Daw Than Than Nu, one of the person who met with U Aung Min at MPC on Novenber 25, the General Secretary from Democratic Party (Burma) told Mizzima that U Aung Min promised that he would submit these facts to the President and he also admitted that the battle continues while ceasefire negotiation discussions are making.
“The government has admitted about the continuing civil wars. They confessed that they have made shots as they witnessed the other armies approaching. The ethnic armed groups responded that they couldn’t always stay still at the same spot. Thus, they sometimes cross the territory. They confessed about it as well”, said Daw Than Than Nu.
“This happen because everybody is looking doubtfully towards each other. In other words, they are misunderstanding each other. They don’t need to have doubts on each other. One needs to get rid of the doubts conditionally while building the trust”, said No ThangKap , the chairman of CPP(Chin Progressive Party).
However, Nai Han Thar, the secretary from UNFC made a comment about the continuing civil wars during the ceasefire discussion meeting.
“The government army fired at the ethnic armies whenever they hold for the discussion meeting. This is controversial. It’s such a scandal if u perceives this act as the ‘government and military have the same idea. If they don’t have the same view, this means someone is blocking the peace works intentionally”, Nai Han Thar told Mizzima on 24th November.
Under the TheinSein's administration, over 130 political discussions have been made with the ethnic armed organizations. However, the nationwide ceasefire has still not been achieved and instead, the battles keep arising in Kachin and Shan states.
