Burma watchers who are expecting the next round of talks on the 1st week of May are in for some disappointment, as more consultations among the armed resistance movements (ARMs) have become most necessary, according to both government and ARM sources.
“They (NCCT) say the situation calls for consultations among each group and most likely another summit of all groups,” said U Hla Maung Shwe, who added the next meeting between the ARMs’ Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) and the government’s Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC) may likely move to mid-May.
The ARMs have so far held two “summits”: in Laiza, Kachin resistance base, 30 October-2 November 2013, and Law Khee Lar, Karen resistance base, 20-25 Januarly 2014. The NCCT has yet to announce where the next summit will be.
Earlier these have been reports that it has been conferring with Wa and Mongla leaders the possibility of holding the third summit on the Sino-Burmese border.
The two sides so far have met 7 times, since the creation of the NCCT in Laiza to negotiate for the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the UPWC:
- 4-5 November 2013, Myitkyina
- 2 December 2013, Rangoon
- 12-13 December 2013, Rangoon
- 29 December 2013, Chiangmai
- 29 January 2014, Chiangmai
- 9-10 March 2014, Rangoon
- 5-8 April 2014, Rangoon
The latest outcome was the “successful” drafting of a single document for the NCA. The draft however has yet to be seen by the media. “The difference is mostly in the wordings, but also to a certain extent in principles,” said Dr Lian Hmung Sakhong.
Meanwhile, fighting between the Burma Army and the Kachin-led alliance continues in the north and tensions between the Burma Army (again) and the Shan State Army (SSA) South are on the rise again following the disappearance of a ex-Burma Army village headman in Mongton on 19 April. The Burma Army has accused the SSA of the abduction and demanded his immediate return. The latter has denied knowledge of the incident.
“Hard to say,” said one of the victim’s neighbors. “The place is crawling with armed groups, even not counting the SSA and the Burma Army. There are People’s Militia Forces (PMFs), a Border Guard Force (BGF) and the United Wa State Army (UWSA) beside the two mentioned. And many have reasons to be unhappy with U Tin Aung (the abducted).”
The SSA is also having trouble dealing with the UWSA whose troops had crossed into its domain on the west bank on the Salween earlier this month to provide security for the gold dredgers. “All these are fuses that can blow up and jeopardize the peace process,” said an SSA commander. “Many of us think the Burma Army (or part of it) is deliberately hatching things up in order to derail it and put the blame on us afterward.”
The two sides have fought 68 times in 2012 and 86 times in 2013 following the signing of a provisional ceasefire on 2 December 2011, according to the Burma News International (BNI) report published last week.
