CNI News
23 August 2022
Current peace talks lack sound foundations, Spokesperson for Karenni National Progressive Party Khu Pluyal told the CNI.
Ten ethnic armed organizations joined the first round of peace talks invited by the chairman of the State Administration Council and the second round has resumed.
He told the CNI, “In our opinion, current peace talks lack sound foundations. This is our brief conclusion. We want to take the federal democracy path but we feel that they want to drag us under the 2008 constitution. We want them to consider another way. If we are always asked to join the peace talks, we will not be able to safeguard our future. We would like to draw such a conclusion.”
The SAC chairman told Noleen Heyzer, the Special Envoy of the UN, “The Tatmadaw has invited all the ethnic armed organizations to peace dialogues and held discussions for them to become legal armed organizations as part of the Tatmadaw.
Snr Gen Min Aung Hlaing and delegations of the ALP, the PNLO and the LDU.
“However, the KNU, the KNPP and the KIA have not joined the peaceful path but kept to hold arms,” he added.
Reforming ethnic armed organizations into legal ones as part of the Tatmadaw seems to be the aim of implementing a federal system, Political Analyst U Ye Tun told the CNI.
U Ye Tun said, “There must be only one army in a country whether it is a federal or centralized state. At present, respective ethnic armed organizations are exercising their own sovereignty in the own territories to fight against the central government. The ultimate aim of their political objectives is to move forward to federalism. So, it is necessary to amend the constitution. When it has been amended and federalism, self-administration and self-determination have been guaranteed under it, if they find the constitution satisfactory, they may become armed organizations like state police forces or local defence forces under the only one army, the Tatmadaw. All these need negotiations. The aim of restoring peace is to move forward to federalism. So, I think the SAC chairman was talking about it.”
Seven signatory ethnic armed organizations to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement and three non-signatories ethnic armed organizations joined the first round of peace talks held by the SAC.
Currently, the Pao National Liberation Organization, the Arakan Liberation Party and the Lahu Democratic Union have joined the second round of talks with the SAC since 22 August.
The KNPP and the KIA are non-signatories to the NCA but they joined the negotiations to sign the NCA. The KNU is a signatory to the NCA.
