TNLA General Secretary Ta Hpone Kyaw said they would not attend the ceremony as they were invited as an individual organization, not as one of the 7-member Northern Alliance and its Federal Peace Negotiation Consultative Committee (FPNCC).

“We learned that FPNCC was not invited to this ceremony. We did not receive invitation as the committee but they sent invitations to all of us as a separate organization. So, our organization will not attend. We will attend this function only if we are invited as an FPNCC member. FPNCC does not allow us to attend as a separate entity. We have such a resolution among us,” he told Mizzima.

FPNCC consists of representatives of seven EAOs namely United Wa State Party (UWSP), National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) or Kokang group and Arakan Army (AA).

The government and 8 NCA signatory EAOs agreed to invite non-signatories to the second signing anniversary of NCA at their meeting held in Naypyitaw and sent invitations to the organizations separately.

Eight EAOs and government signed NCA on October 15, 2015 when President Thein Sein was in office and the ceremony of second signing anniversary of NCA will be held as a state-level function on October 15 at Myanmar International Convention Centre 1 (MICC-1) in Naypyitaw.