The Peace Process Steering Team (PSST), a group consisting of ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) that have signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), held a special meeting on the current political situation in the country.
The PPST meeting in pursuit of national reconciliation and building federal union concluded with common positions on the current political situation and peace process after a thorough discussion.
The PPST Statement:
1).We condemn the Myanmar military’s way of addressing the current political crisis by carrying out a coup d’état.
2).We demand the immediate and unconditional release of all leaders who are detained and arrested.
3).We urge the resolution of political problems by peaceful means and negotiation, rather than by force of arms.
4.) We stand firm on the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) and act accordingly regarding the peace process.
5.) We call for the unconditional declaration of nationwide ceasefire.
6.) We will collaborate with the public in seeking solutions, as we are aware of the difficulties faced by the people by the coup as well as the global pandemic (COVID-19).
7.) We call on the support of the international community including the UN in resolving the current crisis.
PPST spokesperson Col Khun Okkar said: “The main point is we don’t accept solving the current political crisis by force of arms. We stick to the policy of solving the political problem by political means. We call for unconditional release of the detained leaders and solving the problems by peaceful means.”
“We will cooperate with the people in the country, and need the support of the international community to find a solution. We will continue to support the peace process according to the NCA path, as we have signed the NCA. We should not halt the peace process,” he added.
The ten NCA signatories are: the Karen National Union (KNU), the Chin National Front (CNF), the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF), the KNLA/PC, the Pa-O National Liberation Organisation (PNLO), the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU).
