Burma will have no peace while the Hluttaw [parliament] continues working on a nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) signed by only eight ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) according to the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC).
The UNFC, held it annual conference in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand from 7 to 10 December. The UNFC is a coalition of EAOs, but only representatives of EAOs who have not yet signed the NCA attended the conference.
In a statement released the day after the conference the UNFC said that they would continue to meet with the current government and the National League for Democracy Government who are transitioning into power. It also said that the UNFC had also formed a group of representatives who would negotiate and find solutions for the implementation of the NCA.
On 8 December the Hluttaw officially approved the NCA even though only eight of the 21 EAOs actually signed it.
Nai Hongsar, the vice-chairman of the UNFC said: "The Hluttaw should not approve the NCA as it is not nationally representative. If it approves it [the NCA] true peace cannot be established. Another thing is that we cannot get the answer [solution] that everyone wants. So, we object to this [the NCA]."
Though the UNFC had requested that the government allow all 21 of the EAOs to sign the NCA the government only invited 15 of them to sign the NCA and eventually, against the UNFC's wishes, the government signed the NCA with only eight EAOs.
The eight EAOs that signed the NCA are: the Karen National Union (KNU), the Karen National Liberation Army –Peace Council (KPC), the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), the Chin National Front (CNF), the Arkan Liberation Party (ALP), the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) and the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S).
The EAOs who have not signed the NCA include: the Kachin Independent Organization (KIO), the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), the New Mon State Party (NMSP), the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), the United Wa State Army (UWSA), the National Socialist Council of Nagaland –Khaplang(NSCN-K), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDA), the Arakan Army (AA), the Arakan National Council (ANC), the Wa National Organization (WNO), and the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU).
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
