The Karen National Army (KNU) General Secretary Pado Saw Tado Muh responded to the Myanmar Army’s recent allegations of the KNU’s involvement in illegal activity. The KNU General Secretary Pado Saw Tado Muh pointed out that the groundless accusations are attacking the dignity of a partner of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), and therefore go against the terms of the NCA.
In a statement posted on the official Tatmadaw (Myanmar Army) Facebook page on January 25, 2018, the Tatmadaw, accused the KNU of “involvement in ambush attacks against Tatmadaw troops, attacks against rival ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), inhumane treatment and torture of villagers, expanding the KNU military-controlled areas, illegal tax collection, and recruitment of new soldiers.” Specifically, it accused the KNU of nine ambush attacks against Tatmadaw troops and two car bomb attacks in the Southern Command area.
KNU General Secretary Pado Saw Tado Muh, said that, “In the agreements of NCA, we must avoid any acts of defamation of other partners’ dignity. We, the KNU, stand firmly with the NCA and have attempted to implement it, but in this NCA, no dialogue forum has been agreed upon by both dialogue partners [the Tatmadaw and EAOs]. We may need to discuss it with the government and the leaders concerned”.
In the the Tatmadaw’s announcement, it accused KNU involvement in one case of illegal taxation in the Tatmadaw’s Southeast Command area and the Coastal Region Command area, respectively.
However, Pado Saw Tado Muh, responded that, “Taxation is in accordance with our KNU rules and regulations. We followed our policies. It is also described in Article 25 A of the NCA, as we need to conduct this [taxation] for our existence. In this Article, it allows the EAOs to take responsibility for the security of the local people and engage in area development. Anyway, we may have further discussions on these issues”.
The KNU, a major EAO which has fought for greater autonomy for the Karen people, has signed both state-level and national-level ceasefire agreements with the local Karen State Government in 2012 and and the Union Government in 2015, respectively. However, the KNU and the Tatmadaw have disagreed on each sides’ troop locations, and there is an ongoing conflict over where each party’s troops can be deployed.
Former Chairman and current patron of Pa-oh National Liberation Organization, Khun Okka, commented: “all partners of the NCA must more clearly define the terms of agreement. We can find a focal point for peace building if we really want to build peace. I urge them to find a concrete agreement”.
Khun Okka, also pointed out that all NCA signing partners have been rushed to complete the NCA and hold a signing ceremony, but there has been limited time to reach an agreement or mutual understanding of the specificities of each article in the agreement.
In November 2018, after a peace summit with top leaders from the government, Tatmadaw, and EAOs, the KNU has withdrawn temporarily from participating in any peace related meetings and discussions. It announced that it will find informal ways of negotiating peace building in the country. Currently, the political dialogue among the NLD Government, Tatmadaw and EAOs has reached a deadlock after many disagreements over the distribution of power in the Federal Union, and resulting armed conflicts.
