The government sent a letter dated September 3, 2019 to the signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement telling them not to have any direct communication with the UN, Embassy, and INGOs about any help request purposes.

Lt-Gen Khin Zaw Oo (Rtd), a Secretary of the Peace Commission, signed the letter which informed all 10 NCA-EAO signatory members they must first request approval from the Peace Commission before attempting to contact the UN, foreign embassies or INGO’s.

According to Nai Aung Ma-ngay, NMSP’s Executive Committee Member, the Government’s Peace Commission informed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement – Ethnic Armed Organizations (NCA-EAO’s) not to contact or ask for help from the United Nation (UN), Foreign Embassies and International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGO), for any regional development assistance or other projects.

“Such rules are not mentioned in the NCA or the bilateral [ceasefire agreements]. So, we will present about this at our [Peace Process Steering Team] PPST meeting and [get] their thoughts for further agreement,” said Nai Aung Ma-ngay.

[The government] has notified the EAOs they need to get permission from the National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) to request any support and that the EAOs must comply with NRPC’s policies and guidelines, he continued.

Nai Aung Ma-ngay added, “Any possible obstruction could impede the benefits people could get from the NCA process such as community development, education, and health sectors. If by chance the trust and understanding [of people is] hindered by something, [an] impediment [or] blockage could potentially occur.”