CNI News

5 October 2023

The State Administration Council (SAC) intended to hold the 8th anniversary celebration of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement because it wanted to relax its political and military crises, said Duwa Lashi La, acting president of the National Unity Government. 

He said the above at the 32nd meeting of the NUG. The NCA has been void, he added.

" We have a lot of things to focus on relating to the revolution. Everybody knows that the military council, our enemy, is trying to hold the NCA 8th anniversary celebration. They will hold the anniversary because they want to relax their political and military crises as possible as they can. So, they are trying to deceive some ethnic leaders. Moreover, they will surely try to break the unity between the NUG and ethnic forces. We need to pay special attention to this." said Duwa Lashi La.

Former President U Thein Sein andEAO former chairman of the KNU

The 8th anniversary celebration of the NCA would be held on 15 October 2023 and NCA signatories, NCA non-signatories and foreign countries had been invited to attend the event, said Sr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, chairman of the SAC.

Because the Tatmadaw has taken the power on 1 February 2021, the NCA has been void, said Pado Sawta Do Hmu, general secretary of the Karen National Union (KNU) that has signed the NCA at a news conference held on 10 August 2023.

However, the NCA was approved at the Hluttaw and was signed before the local and international witnesses, so it would never be void, said the SAC. Those who said that the NCA has been void have not officially resigned from the NCA and the NCA liaison offices are operating, said Khun Okka, patron of the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO).

 NSPNC Seven NCA signatories and NSPNC delegates

At present, among the NCA signatories, KNU, the Chin National Front (CNF) and the All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF) are at the battles against the Tatmadaw. 
Whether the NCA is void or not depends on the attitude of the organizations and currently, because the battles are breaking out on the ground, the SAC is finding it difficult, said U Kun Gawng Aung Kham, a Kachin politician, to CNI News.

 "I've never seen that PDFs and revolutionary organizations are unitedly fighting against the Tatmadaw throughout the country like that. It is the strongest revolutionary attack since 1988. So these are things to think about. What will happen will depends on how to perform." he said.

The resistance has become very strong after the Tatmadaw took power and international pressure has increased rather than previous coups, said U Tun Aung Kyaw, member of the policy steering committee of the Arakan National Party, to CNI News.

"In comparison with the coups in 1962 and 1988, when the Tatmadaw took power, the resistance is very stronger and so is international pressure, i think." he said.

At present, some EAOs/PDF joint forces are fighting against the Tatmadaw to topple down. On the other hand, the SAC is making arrangements to magnificently hold the 8th anniversary celebration of the NCA after it has invited over 1,000 people.