International funding for troubled ethnic areas may depend on whether a ceasefire agreement has been signed, according to Lamai Gun Ja, spokesperson for the Peace-Talk Creation Group.
Lamai Gun Ja appears to have come to this conclusion after meeting various international players including the US Ambassador to Myanmar Derek Mitchell, who has just visited Kachin State.
“Only when the government and armed ethnic groups have signed the ceasefire agreement will not only the US but other donor countries start to deliver assistance. If not, it will be difficult for them to give assistance,” he told Mizzima on 27th October.
Ambassador Mitchell met with the Peace-Talk Creation Group, Technical Assistance Team, Kachin Baptist Convention and Kachin State-based civic organizations during his trip to Kachin State on 25th-27th October.
The Peace-Talk Creation Group is involved in peace negotiations between the Kachin Independence Organization and the government and the Technical Assistance Team provides technological support for the peace-making process.
Lamai Gun Ja, who met with the US Ambassador on his visit, said the US will assist in the ceasefire process.
A US official from the US Embassy in Yangon sought to rectify any suggestion by Lamai Gun Ja that Washington might be seeking to apply pressure or that aid is contingent on a ceasefire.
“Ambassador Mitchell said the US Government stands ready to provide further assistance for the peace process, in particular the national political dialogue,” the official told Mizzima.
“He did not pressure any members of the Kachin community to sign a ceasefire agreement. The United States supports an end to the fighting and an inclusive and transparent dialogue as the only way to the creation of a lasting peace. We are not pushing the Kachin – or anyone - to sign anything they are not comfortable signing,” he said.
The US Ambassador met with representatives of the Kachin State government at its office in Myitkyina on the morning of 27th October, according to the local government secretary, U Zaw Thein.
The peace-making process continues. Vice Chairman of the Kachin Independence Organization Lieutenant-General N’Ban La and the Union-level Peace-making Work Committee led by Union Minister U Aung Min agreed to hold talks about a ceasefire in Mae Sai, Thailand in November 2014.
