In March, the Myanmar government and the KNPP signed an initial state-level ceasefire agreement. A subsequent 14-point union-level deal was signed in Loikaw city on June 9, but did not include the 6 additional points covering military affairs originally raised by the KNPP.

Less than three weeks later, on June 27, the fighting that broke out between government troops and the KNPP in the Mawchi area highlighted the need for both parties to focus on military affairs in coming talks, said the KNPP.

The KNPP wants the withdrawal of government troops from Frontline No. 55 Light Infantry Division that has seven battalions operating in Karenni State.

According to authorities, active battalions under Frontline No. 55 in Parsaung Township are providing security for the opening of a highway from Mawchi to Karen State.

However, the stated reason does not account for the number of troops being deployed, said KNPP central committee member Maj. Gen. Aung Myart.

If there are hidden reasons behind the size of the deployment, fighting could be the result, he added.

Reconstruction of the highway from Mawchi to Taungu in Karen State is designed to open a convenient corridor for troops to move from Naypyidaw, the new capital city of Myanmar, through Karen and Karenni states, said Maj. Gen. Aung Myart.

“They said [the troops remain in the area] to repair the road. It is a top strategy.  However, repairing or opening the road means troops meet face to face.”

According to Brig. Gen. Win Myint, Commander of Regional Control Command (RCC), after the state-level ceasefire agreement was reached in May, troops from No. 55 division arrived in the Mawchi area as substitutions and not to conduct operations.

“The troops from LID [No. 55 Light Infantry Division] in the Mawchi area are there to substitute troops from the RCC. This is the nature of our military. The RCC has been based in the Mawchi area long enough and we don’t want any trouble regarding administration. Therefore, we have substituted No. 55 in the area temporarily,” Gen. Win Myint said during the June 9 talks in Loikaw.

Colonel Phone Naing from the Karenni Army said that a clear process regarding military movements is needed to move the peace dialogue forward.

“If we really want to make the peace process go ahead, troops from No. 55 must withdraw from the area as quickly as possible, so that both parties can sign an agreement for the next steps.”

The second key issue for the Karenni peace process centres on the construction of the No. 14 military training school in the Marproshay area of Pruhso Township.  Gen. Aung Myart described this as the “main reason” the ceasefire is at risk.

Previous peace talks could not reach agreement on the training school, reportedly because the project is in the middle of construction. In 2010, authorities confiscated at least 2,700 acres of land from villagers to build the military school, though local residents claim that more than 3,000 acres have been seized.  Construction began in August 2011.

The government paid 50,000 kyat per acre in compensation for only 500 acres of confiscated land, maintaining that the other 2,200 acres were lowlands and unusable for farming. However, residents assert that all of the confiscated land is the ancestral property of local farmers who used it for cultivation and to earn their livelihoods.

According to the government’s Peace Making Work Committee, the authorities confiscated the land after the Ministry of Defense was granted permission from the state government.

Peace committee member and Deputy Minister for Border Affairs Maj. Gen. Zaw Win said, “Regarding confiscated land for military training, there will be reconsideration. Based on the situation on the ground, if local people suffer, their petition will be reconsidered.”

However, he added, “The land is already confiscated. A military construction project can’t be transferred to other government ministries, it must be the previous (SPDC) government.”

Railway Minister Aung Min said that it was difficult to make a decision since the construction process began at an earlier time.

“The constitution states that whether the previous government is right or wrong, we [the current government] can’t make any decisions on this. This is a transition period and it is also a thing that is difficult to make a decision on. To be able to make a decision, we need to write a report to Mr. President,” said Aung Min during a meeting with the KNPP in Loikaw on March 7.

Gen. Aung Myart said that if further peace talks between the KNPP and the government do not focus on the withdrawal of No. 55 troops and the construction of the No. 14 military training school, the ceasefire will not last and fighting could resume at any time.

“If the meetings can’t reach agreement on what we propose, our Karenni national resistance movement of over 60 years is nothing. Our fight will continue.”

The KNPP is the political wing of the Karenni Army, which has fought against the Burmese army since 1948. The KNPP entered a ceasefire agreement with the Burmese army in 1995, but the ceasefire broke down after three months.

Sources from KNPP said their next union-level meeting with the government will be held in the fourth week of October.