Govt Peace Commission starts meetings with armed ethnic groups
Govt Peace Commission starts meetings with armed ethnic groups
Myanmar Times, 25 Jul 2018
URL: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/govt-peace-commission-starts-meetings-armed-ethnic-groups.html
The government has began informal meetings with armed ethnic groups as agreed at the third round of the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference.
The government’s Peace Commission held separate meetings with the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) and the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) in Chiang Mai, Thailand, days after the end of the conference on July 16. The meetings aimed to enhance trust between the government and armed ethnic groups through the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), said representatives who attended the meeting on Friday.
The commission was led at the meeting by its secretary, retired Lieutenant General Khin Zaw Oo and the KIO was led by its chairman, General N’ Ban La, while the RCSS/SSA was led by its leader, General Yawd Serk.
Although the RCSS has signed the NCA, its fighters recently clashed with government forces.
The commission first met with KIO leaders and then with the RCSS/SSA to discuss how to reduce fighting and to review union-level agreements.
The discussion between the commission and the KIO’s General N’ Ban La on Friday had good results, but they will not be made public, said KIO spokesman U Daung Kha. The KIO attended the third Panglong conference as a member of the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC).
The commission said that discussions will continue after the conference because it is the only way to build trust and attain peace. “We will meet separately and in groups, but we will not disclose some information for security reasons,” said commission vice president U Thein Zaw.
The government’s Peace Commission held separate meetings with the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) and the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) in Chiang Mai, Thailand, days after the end of the conference on July 16. The meetings aimed to enhance trust between the government and armed ethnic groups through the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), said representatives who attended the meeting on Friday.
The commission was led at the meeting by its secretary, retired Lieutenant General Khin Zaw Oo and the KIO was led by its chairman, General N’ Ban La, while the RCSS/SSA was led by its leader, General Yawd Serk.
Although the RCSS has signed the NCA, its fighters recently clashed with government forces.
The commission first met with KIO leaders and then with the RCSS/SSA to discuss how to reduce fighting and to review union-level agreements.
The discussion between the commission and the KIO’s General N’ Ban La on Friday had good results, but they will not be made public, said KIO spokesman U Daung Kha. The KIO attended the third Panglong conference as a member of the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC).
The commission said that discussions will continue after the conference because it is the only way to build trust and attain peace. “We will meet separately and in groups, but we will not disclose some information for security reasons,” said commission vice president U Thein Zaw.