The march was held in Kamarawat Sub-Township in Mudon Township, Mon State. Administrators from No.5 Ward of Kamarwat led the protest march of about 500 people which took place from 7am to 8.30 am on 27th January.

Nai Aung Janelt, a former schoolteacher said: "This was done without the people's consent. They called people and when the people arrived they were ordered to hold the placards which had been made by the administrators. The administrators then made a record of it [the protest march] by taking photos."

He added that about only one third of the protesters came from Kamarawat and that the rest were from other villages in Mudon Township.

The march went from Dat-Pong-Sone Monastery to the School on the highway.

People shouted slogans such as: "Commemorate Union Day follow the will of the people and make a nationwide ceasefire", "We want Peace", "We urgently want a ceasefire" and "All people want to live peacefully".

Nai Banyar Chan, the chairman of the Kamarwat branch of the Mon National Party said: "The Mon National Party, the All Mon Regional Democracy Party (AMRDP) and the Kamarawat Literature and Culture Group are not involved with the protest. It was all led by the administrators."

Nai Hongsa, the leader of the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) and the vice-chairman of the New Mon State Party (NMSP), spoke to IMNA news on 11 January.

He said that since there has not yet been any agreement on the criteria that need to be fulfilled by the parties involved in the ceasefire talks and no code of conduct for the behaviour of the ethnic and government forces has been drawn up the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) cannot be signed.

This is the first time there has been a protest in Kamarawat Sub-Township. Nai Htaw Mon, the chairman of the NMSP also comes from there.

Translated by Aung Myat Soe English version written by Mark Inkey for BNI