The Myanmar government’s Peace Commission and ten ethnic armed organizations who are signatories to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA-EAOs) will meet for a discussion in Chiang Mai, Thailand on August 20 to discuss resumption of the Union Peace Conference.

“All stakeholders have agreed to have a meeting and to proceed with the political talk following the NCA path,” said U Hla Maung Shwe, an advisor to the government’s peace commission.

These meetings had been stalled for about ten months. August 20’s meeting is apparently part of preparatory negotiations to resume the fourth meeting of the 21st Century Panglong Conference.

On August 9th, 2019, the Karen National Union (KNU) announced it was in support of the NCA and would cooperate with the stakeholders involved in the implementation of the peace process.

The 4th NCA-S EAO (Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement – Signatories, Ethnic Armed Organizations) meeting was held on August 17-19 in Chiang Mai City. Those results are to be presented to the Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) scheduled for August 21st.

There are currently 10 ethnic armed groups that have signed onto the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. This includes, the Karen National Union (KNU), the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), the New Mon State Party (NMSP), the Chin National Front (CNF), the All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF), the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), the Pa-O National Liberation Organisation (PNLO), the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), the Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army – Peace Council (KNU/KNLA-PC), and the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU).