The UNFC, in a December 4th declaration, stated that the Thein Sein government policy of arranging separate ceasefire dialogues with individual ethnic groups is not arriving at smooth and succinct solutions for peace. Rather, the talks serve to fragment the UNFC and harm the unity and power of that organisation.

The UNFC asserts that, if the government engages the group collectively in dialogue, the transition to peace will be faster and more efficient. Further, the UNFC sees the government’s tactic of organising dialogue with each ethnic group in isolation as merely an attempt to coerce group separately and break their collective unity.

“Their [the government] peace talk was not a political dialogue done in good faith. They met separately with each group and gave them inducements. They made the [ethnic] groups weak by breaking them down into single groups. Because of these actions, we can say that they intend to divide us all,” said UNFC General Secretary Nai Hong Sar speaking to the Independent Mon News Agency.

There has been over 60 years of civil war in Burma between the government and various ethnic groups. Unfortunately, solutions have yet to be reached through political dialogue and agreement. Instead, whilst utilizing its formidable military, the government has denied ethnic groups political equality. To this end, successive central governments have used previous ceasefire agreements as tools to develop those regions for their own uses rather than to give those regions political equality.

In response to the real nature of the government’s ‘peace policies’, the UNFC has released a policy statement declaring the need for a nationwide ceasefire and for the development of a peace dialogue between the government and representatives of the UNFC.

“The fact we should know is this. The fighting has increased. It did not decease even when the government offered ceasefire dialogues. This raises doubts about the nature of the ‘peace talk’ of the government,” continued Nai Hong Sar.

During the recently held Central Committee Meeting of the UNFC, the organisation was reformed into twelve fundamental groups. Six of these were substantial armed ethnic groups and six were alliance groups. Further, the UNFC made a landmark decision to form a ‘Union Army’, combining all ethnic armed groups into a single armed force.

The UNFC was formed in February, 2011 and includes six fundamental groups:

the Karen National Union (KNU), the Kachin Independent Organization (KIO), the New Mon State Party (NMSP), the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), the Chin National Front (CNF) and the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP). Later it was expanded up to twelve fundamental groups including the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF), the Arakan National Council (ANC), the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), the Wa National Organization (WNO) and the Kachin National Organization (KNO).