“Accommodation won’t run smoothly if it were to be held in Popa. We might have to stay separately. That’s why the decision was set down in the evening as Naypyidaw is more suitable,” said Nai Aung Ma Nge, spokesperson of the New Mon State Party (NMSP).

The Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) of the NCA-S EAOs held a meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand on October 10-11 to discuss the summit and they were unable to set down a decision up to yesterday morning.  

“This is the first meeting between the leaders. We will discuss about the deadlocks. We have to do many discussions among the ethnic people on holding better summits in the future,” said Nai Aung Ma Nge.

In his opening remarks at the PPST meeting, the Karen National Union (KNU) chair Gen Mutu Say Poe said the KNU has a principle to work together with the ethnic people on common issues and work separately on issues with different perspectives so it is essential to have common positions and perspectives among the ten NCA-EAOs.

“We need to find ways to allow the non-signatory organizations to be involved in the peace process for the sake of building the future union together in the best possible way. Only then can we achieve the all-inclusive future federal democratic union that everyone aspires to,” Gen Mutu Say Poe said.

The government’s spokesperson U Zaw Htay has earlier told the reporters that the 10+10 summit will be held in Popa in central Myanmar on October 15 between the ten leaders of the government, the parliament, and the Tatmadaw including the State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the Tatmadaw Commander-in-Chief Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing and ten leaders of the ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) to overcome the deadlocks in Myanmar’s peace process.