CNI News
29 August 2022
Gen. Yawd Serk, the Cahirman of the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army, has refused the offer to accept the leading patron post of the Peace Process Steering Team, which is made up of seven signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement.
However, he promised to help the meetings of the PPST if possible, Col Saw Kyaw Nyunt, a spokesperson of the team, told the CNI.
He said, “We offered the post to two leaders beause they had led the PPST previous. Currently, Mutu Say Poe accepted the post as an individual without representing his organization. Gen. Yawd Serk has to take his organization, histroical background and geographical conditions into consideration. So, it is impossible for him to take the post but he promised to offer help with meetings of the PPST.”
Gen. Mutu Say Poe
The PPST sent a request to Chairman Gen. Mutu Say Poe of the Karen National Union to take the leading patron post and to give political guiidance and leadership to the team.
Gen. Mutu Say Poe replied that he accepted the request and agreed to take the post on 4th August.
Col Saw Kyaw Nyunt said, “Gen. Mutu Say Poe is a respected ethnic leader who has enough experience to guide the PPST. As we think he is capable of contributing a lot to the PPST in the future, we offered the leading patron post to him during the last summit and sent a request, which was welcomed and accepted by Gen. Mutu Say Poe as you saw in his response to the team.”
Gen. Yawd Serk meets Snr Gen. Min Aung Hlaing on 29 August, 2022.
Gen. Mutu Say Poe acted as the chairman from 2017 to 2019 and resigned from the post. Similarly, Gen. Yawd Serk took helm of the team from 2019 until July, 2021 before resigning.
The PPST is made up of the Pao National Liberation Organization, the Arakan Liberation Army, the Lahu Democratic Union, the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front, the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, the Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council and the New Mon State Party.
The RCSS/SSA, the KNU and the Chin National Front suspended participation in the PPST.
