A leader of the negotiating team seeking to hammer out a draft ceasefire agreement between armed ethnic groups and President U Thein Sein’s government says the government’s political tactics are causing difficulties for the ethnic groups’ negotiators.
Dr Salai Lian Hmong Sakhong, a leader of Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team, told Mizzima on 20th October that the government controls the issues involved in the proposed nationwide ceasefire by deploying its political tactics, and it is difficult to overcome this.
The team representative claimed the government created a political framework a decade ago and uses the 2008 Constitution as a shield against the aspirations of ethnic groups in the ceasefire talks.
“Ethnic groups have expressed their goals regarding the principles of the ceasefire but the government still intends to control the ceasefire talks with the use of a political roadmap based on the 2008 Constitution. Therefore, the negotiations are still in the air,” he noted.
Dr Salai Lian Hmong Sakhong claimed that only when the political roadmap includes the important processes that need to take place after the ceasefire will ethnic leaders sign the draft ceasefire agreement. These processes include political guarantees for the future of ethnic groups, pledges for the ceasefire, and a firm guarantee for ethnic affairs in the future political process.
