At the December 21 event in Panglong, Tatmadaw troops led by Loilen Cantonment Area Commander Colonel Aung Htay attempted to stop the proceedings, according to Shan State Hluttaw MP Sai Oo Kham

“An administrator came in the morning and told the public that the Shan State government allowed it [the public consultation], but then the Tatmadaw soldiers waited the whole day [at the event]. They told us to stop, but we didn’t. We continued our discussion under the title, ‘Experience Sharing of the MPs’ after we were told not to use the name ‘Shan National-Level Political Dialogue’,” said Sai Oo Kham.

At the event, five MPs – Nan Kham Aye, Sai Hseng Mong, Sai Kham Myat, and Sai Oo Kham from the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) and Sai Naunt from the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) – talked about their experiences in parliament and shared their knowledge about the current political situation.

At separate events in Lashio, northern Shan State, an in Tachileik, eastern Shan State, organizers also reported Tatmadaw interference and possible intimidation tactics.

Around 30 Tatmadaw troops from the 359th Light Infantry Battalion reportedly surrounded the public consultation in Tachileik and remained stationed there until the event ended.

Similarly, a military official from the Tatmadaw’s North Eastern Command reportedly threatened to use force if the public consultation committee did not cancel its public discussion in Lashio. However, the Tatmadaw did not intervene during that public consultation once it was underway, according to members of the Northern Shan State Public Consultation Committee.

The organizers of the dialogues say they are determined to continue holding public consultations with Shan nationals not only in Shan State, but also with Shan residents of Kayah and Kachin states and Bago and Mandalay regions. The viewpoints expressed during these dialogues will then be collected and submitted to the government’s next Union-level peace conference – the third 21st Century Panglong Conference – slated for the end of January.

Just one ethnic armed group in Shan State – the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army – South (RCSS/SSA) has official permission to stage a national-level political dialogue, events held to gauge public opinion on the peace process with the aim of forging a future federal Union. The events are only sanctioned if the convening group has signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, the government’s hallmark peace accord. Some politicians have suggested this policy is unfair as it leaves ethnic input beholden to the political maneuvering of a handful of armed factions.