The Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) welcomes the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw’s (CRPH) federal democratic charter as an effort to build up a federal union, according to its statement issued after a meeting on April 3-4.
The PPST issued a five-point statement after having a thorough discussion on the current political situation.
It declared its common positions statement as follow;
1) We demand the military council to stop massive violations such as shooting and killing against unarmed civilians immediately.
2) We demand the unconditional and immediate release of all people detained.
3) We will continue our support towards the Spring Revolution including Public Civil Disobedience Movement.
4) We welcome the abolishment of the 2008 Constitution declared by the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH).
5) We welcome the declaration of the Federal Democratic Charter by the CRPH as an effort in building a Federal Democratic Union.
Dr. Salai Lian Hmong Sakhong, Spokesperson of the PPST said: “The PPST includes 10 groups. The positions of 10 groups are different. We have reached only the stage of providing assistance to the CRPH. Some organizations are very difficult to reach the stage of cooperation.”
“The EAOs included in the CRPH’s statement cover both NCA signatories and non-NCA signatories. Most of EAOs have a desire to cooperate with the organizations working for the establishment of a federal union through the struggle for democracy. We need to think about the form of cooperation. The situations of 10 groups and states are not the same. Each group and each state are to decide how to make cooperation. The PPST itself cannot make decisions,” Dr. Salai Lian Hmong Sakhong continued.
Dr. Nai Nya Mon, Executive Director of the Ethnic Nationalities Affairs Center (ENAC) said: “The PPST no longer favours the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) path. The PPST can choose the CRPH’s path. But the PPST mainly needs to think about to what extent the PPST will encounter military situations. The NCA will be void if the PPST joins hands with the CRPH. Even the State-level bilateral ceasefire agreement will be void. There will be fights in ethnic areas if both the NCA and bilateral agreement are void.”
The PPST is formed with ten NCA signatories—the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), the Karen National Union (KNU), the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), the KNU/KNLA-PC, the Chin National Front (CNF), the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF), the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU).
