Representatives of the Restoration Council of Shan State / Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) were detained by police whilst returning to Taunggyi, Shan State from a peace process workshop in Pa-An Town, Karen State.
Naypyidaw police stopped their convoy of five cars for over an hour on the superhighway road at 3am on 3 March while a deputy inspector from the Naypyidaw police force checked the driver’s driving licences.
An RCSS/SSA member who was on the trip said: “To [help] the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) to go forward we went and participated in the peace process workshop held in Pa-An Town. We went there after we had reported to the relevant level authorities [that we were going]. The Naypyidaw police questioned us for over one hour. It should not be like this. It looks as if the lower level authorities do not know what the higher level authorities are doing.”
He added that though the RCSS/SSA had informed the Security Minister Colonel Aung Thu, Military Affairs Security and related government departments they were still intentionally stopped, which hindered their trip and could create obstacles to building understanding between the government and the RCSS/SSA.
24 members of the RCSS/SSA attended the peace workshop, which was held from 27 February to 1 March in Pa-An. Other ethnic armed groups who attended included: the Karen National Union (KNU), the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), the Paoh National Liberation Organization (PNLO), the Chin National Front (CNF), the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA).
Recently, on 28 February, Burma Army Infantry Battalion 248 based in Mongnai Township, Linkhe District attacked the RCSS/SSA youth empowerment training school in Mawkmai Township, Southern Shan State, resulting in one government casualty and no injuries to the RCSS/SSA troops.
Translated by Aung Myat Soe English version written by Mark Inkey for BNI
