Padoh Saw Thamein Tun made the statement to Karen News on 31st January during the 66th anniversary of the Karen Revolution Day held in Rangoon.

He said: “There are 12 groups in the UNFC and 16 groups in the NCCT. If all are signing [the ceasefire], the KNU can’t be left out. If they don’t sign, then the KNU won’t sign either, because all the unpeaceful things from the unsigned ceasefire regions could affect our people and our area. So, we will only sign [the ceasefire] if the UNFC and NCCT sign.”

Mahn Htain Win Sein, the vice president of the Karen National Party (KNP) told Karen News that he agreed with the KNU member’s statement as he believe that the Burmese government will launch an offensive against the remaining groups who do not sign the national ceasefire agreement.

“I completely support this idea because the Karen have lead the struggle for equality, self-determination and the formation of a federal state since 11 February, 1948. It is not possible to say we have gained our freedom unless all other ethnics people do,” said Mahn Htain Win Sein.

Padow Saw Thamein Tun was talking at an event organised by the Karen Youth Network to celebrate and discuss literature about the history of the Karen national movement. Padoh Saw Listion was another guest and over 200 people attended.

An East Yangon Technological University student, Naw Paw Khee La, who attended the Resistance Day anniversary said, “We young people gained a lot of knowledge by hearing historical issues being discussed here. We were also told about the experiences of our elders”.

According to representatives from the ethnic group's NCCT and the government's UPWC there are only a few points left to be discussed on the national wide ceasefire agreement.

Edited for BNI by Mark Inkey