As a growing number of ethnic armed groups appear to be losing faith in the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA), at least one signatory organization championed the pact at the beginning of the 21st-Century Panglong Conference.
Karen National Union (KNU) chair General Mutu Say Poe called on ethnic armed organizations to join the fold and help build a truly federal Union.
“The political problems cannot be resolved only with the participation of the [eight] NCA signatories,” he said in his opening speech at the start of the May 24-28 conference in Nay Pyi Taw.
“We need to support our brethren who are not yet participating in the [peace] process. Foundations for common policy and standards need to be outlined. We need to include everyone on the same level,” he said, calling for non-signatories to quickly sign the agreement.
A large swathe of the non-signatory ethnic armed organizations are not attending the second 21st-Century Panglong Conference, however, as the ethnic umbrella organization, the United Nationalities Federal Council, decided to forgo the event if it could not fully participate. The government initially offered the seven groups “observer status”. When that failed to sway them, the government negotiators entreated the UNFC to attend as a “special guest”, but to no avail.
U Khun Sai, director of the Pyidaungsu Institute for Peace and Dialogue, said the benefits of signing the NCA need to be fully explained to all groups that remain outside the agreement. He said he believes a lack of clear understanding about the advantages has prevented some groups from joining.
“It is not enough to just urge these groups to sign the NCA. They need to be told about the benefits they will get from signing. If so, there is more chance of them participating,” he said.
Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing took a more punitive approach in his opening statement at the Panglong meeting. He said ignoring the NCA and pursuing an alternative route to peace is equivalent to spiting the establishment of a Union based on peace, democracy and federalism.
For her part, State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi continued to reiterate that the government will hold the door open for whoever wants to sign the NCA.
Seven ethnic armed organizations led by the powerful United Wa State Army earlier this year announced plans to forge ahead without the NCA, pledging to institute a better path.
The so-called “Panghsang allies” are set to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on the sidelines of the Panglong conference on May 26.
Translated by Thida Linn
Edited by Laignee Barron
