U Aung Min, President’s Office Minister for ethnic and NGO affairs, is due to visit Panghsang, the capital of Wa on the Sino-Burmese border, in December, according to sources close to the United Wa State Army (UWSA) leadership.
“He had given 1 December as a tentative date,” said a source on the border last night. “But he is yet to confirm it.”
This will be the first visit to Panghsang by U Aung Min, also Vice Chairman of the Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC), who likes to call himself Minister Without Borders.
The two sides have already held 1 state level and 2 union level meetings. The government delegation, on all 3 occasions, was led by U Aung Thaung, who was said to be very close to the Wa leaders, especially Wei Xuegang, Commander of the Thai-Burmese border based 171st Military Region.
Key agreements reached at these meetings include:
6 September 2011 State level Ceasefire
1 October 2011 Union level Non-secession from the Union
26 December 2011 Union level To “continue negotiating” on the UWSA representation in the parliament
Since then, no negotiations have taken place between the two sides. U Aung Thaung had also “resigned” in May, when the UPWC was formed.
