The Tatmadaw has agreed to halt the road project in Ler Mu Plaw area in Hpa-pun District, Kayin (Karen) State and withdraw military deployment for road construction, following a meeting between the Karen National Union (KNU) delegation led by its chair Gen Saw Mutu Say Poe and the Tatmadaw Commander-in-Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing at the Yangon Command in Yangon on May 17.
The KNU delegation and the Tatmadaw Commander-in-Chief discussed for three hours from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm. The KNU’s chair Gen Saw Mutu Say Poe was accompanied by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)’s chief of staff Gen Saw Jonny, Maj-Gen Saw Isaac Poe, and other military and civilian leaders.
The road construction project has been halted. They will also withdraw [the military deployment] in order for the public to return home. An instruction has been sent to the front-line troops. This is the result of the negotiation. If we can negotiate like this and carry it out, such kinds of issues will not happen again in the future,” Maj-Gen Saw Isaac Poe told KIC News when he was contacted after the meeting.
Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing has promised not to continue the road construction and he has already issued an order to settle the issue for the public, Maj-Gen Saw Isaac Poe continued.
The Tatmadaw Commander-in-Chief told the KNU delegation that the aim of the road project was development and he sympathized with the public who are feeling concerned and have been forced to flee, he added.
The office of the Tatmadaw Commander-in-Chief (Naypyidaw) also announced on May 17 that the Tatmadaw Commander-in-Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing met with a delegation led by the KNU chair Mutu Say Poe at the Zeyar Thiri Beikman parlour in the Yangon Command on that evening.
The Tatmadaw Commander-in-Chief (Navy) Admiral Tin Aung San, Commander-in-Chief (Air) General Maung Maung Kyaw, senior military officers from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief (Army), and member of the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee Lt-Gen Khin Zaw Oo (Retd) were also present at the meeting. The Karen National Union (KNU) chair was accompanied by vice chair Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win and members, according to the announcement from the office of the Tatmadaw Commander-in-Chief (Naypyidaw).
They discussed future process for peace and agreed that the Tatmadaw will understandingly suspend the upgrade of Khay Pu-Ler Mu Plaw road in order to relieve the concerns of the KNU and allow local ethnic people to live their lives in peace and go elsewhere freely.
The KNU delegation comprised chair Gen Saw Mutu Say Poe, vice chair Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win, secretary Padoh Saw Tar Doh Moo, KNLA chief of staff Gen Saw Jonny, Maj-Gen Saw Isaac Poe, Col Saw Tar Ma Lah Thaw, Maj Saw Roger Khin, Padoh Saw Shwe Maung, and KNU advisor Maj Saw Htoo Htoo Lay.
