On the second day of a three-day summit in the Northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, seven ethnic armed organizations have decided to sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement with the government – 17 armed groups attended the meeting.
According to a tentative agreement between the government and the ethnic armed organizations the NCA it was planned to sign it in the first week of October.
A representative of an armed group confirmed to Karen News that, “the decision was made today at the summit that seven groups will sign the NCA with the government.”
The seven groups to sign the agreement include the Karen National Union (KNU), Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), Karen National Union/ Karen National Liberation Army – Peace Council (KNU/KNLA-PC), Chin National Front (CNF), Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), the All Burma Student United Front (ABSDF) and the Pa’o National Liberation Organization.
A senior leader from an ethnic armed group included in the bloc that will sign the agreement said that although Shan State Army – South (SSA-South) do not send their representatives, they have also agreed to sign the NCA, so that the NCA will be signed by eight ethnic groups in total.
The major ethnic armed groups that decided not to sign the NCA include the Kachin Independent Organization, the New Mon State Party and the Karenni National Progressive Party.
A senior leader from the KNU who didn’t attend the meeting said that the “KNU had already made its decision to sign the NCA. However, it should have included at least eight groups. The eight groups should include all the major ethnic armed groups.”
The ethnic armed organizations summit will meet in Chiang Mai from September 28 to 30, 2015.
