Security beefed up for peace talks in Myitkyina
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Security forces were deployed for peace talks between the Union Peace Working Committee and leaders of ethnic armed groups yesterday in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, a police officer from Kachin State told Daily Eleven.
Police and the army are guarding the Manaw ground and city hall, while security has been beefed up in the whole town with the deployment of more than 300 policemen and 200 military personnel.
“The policemen are from a Myitkyina police brigade, while traffic police were called in from other towns. The army is assisting us during this important meeting,” the officer said.
“The tighter the security, the more secure the atmosphere will be for the peace talks,” an army officer said. “There are three brigades on duty.”
The peace talks were originally to take place in Sama Hall and City Hall but were changed to Manaw ground at short notice as people responsible for arranging the talks rushed to organise the meeting.
The government had not even announced the list of ethnic armed groups to attend the talks until Saturday evening.
The ethnic rebel groups on Saturday predicted that the country could look forward to peace by 2015 if thegovernment agreed to their nationwide ceasefire terms.
“If negotiations on the ceasefire draft are approved, gunshots will no longer be heard after 2015,” said Khun Oakka, spokesperson of a conference of 18 ethnic minority rebels groups that met in Laiza, 890 kilometres north Yangon, since Wednesday.
On Saturday the groups finalised a nine-point draft nationwide ceasefire plan, which they are presenting to government leaders in Myintkyina.
“This is a historic moment and the first time we can hope to end the civil war,” Khun Oakka said, while acknowledging that there was still a lot to negotiate about to reach an agreement with the government.
The government of reform-minded President Thein Sein, which came to power in March 2011 after Myanmar’s first elections in 20 years, has signed separate ceasefires with 14 of the country’s ethnic rebel groups.
Some of the groups have been fighting since 1949, the year after Myanmar became independent from Britain, for semi-autonomy for ethnic minorities in their traditional territories.
Thein Sein has called for a nationwide ceasefire signed by all the rebel groups, to be followed within 60 days by political talks on how to settle the issue of semi-autonomous rule in the ethnic minority territories.
It is hoped the ethnic minority conflicts can be resolved peacefully before the next general election in 2015.
The insurgents have demanded that any nationwide ceasefire must besigned by the army commander-in-chief and the leaders of all political parties, including Myanmar opposition leader Aung San SuuKyi.
The Kachin Independence Organisation, which has yet to sign a ceasefire agreement with the government, has agreed to sign the nationwide ceasefire together with the other ethnic rebel groups.
Sources said the United Wa State Army and the National Democratic Alliance Army, which did not officially join the Laiza conference, were also expected to sign the nationwide ceasefire.
Western democracies made ending government attacks on the rebel groups a condition last year for ending their sanctions on Myanmar.
