Yet another call for ceasefire deal

A member of the Chin National Front and Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team, which represents armed ethnic groups, has underscored the importance of achieving a nationwide ceasefire and warned that political gambling could unravel the progress made so far in ending 60 years of internal conflict.

Dr Salai Ngun Cung Lian also said the misery of those living in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) must be considered by all sides.

“Go see the miserable lives of the children in the IDP camps … A year is too long for them to spend in these camps. They are experiencing too much misery,” he said.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are about 372,000 IDPs in Myanmar. An estimated 128,000 refugees live in temporary sites along the Thai-Myanmar border. 

All parties want the ceasefire agreement to be signed before the elections in 2015, which is provisionally scheduled for the final week of October or the first week of November.

Salai Ngun Cung Lian made his comments as the peace talks between Union and ethnic groups appear to be deadlocked, following a failure last month to finalise a draft nationwide ceasefire deal and no confirmation yet on when the next round of talks will be held. Clashes between the Union government’s army and armed ethnic groups have also broken out, with residents of Kachin State concerned that the Tatmadaw is preparing for a major offensive.

He called for a redoubling of efforts to speed up the peace process and for both sides to abstain from gambling on peace for political gain.  “The ceasefire is of great importance in the 60-year-long internal insurgency. Those who believed delaying peace – on the government side or our side – are wrong,” he added.

 “If the peace process is approached like a gamble, any move will be wrong,” he said.

He underscored this point by suggesting negotiators should be thinking about peace in terms of hours. “One hour early means a one hour advantage,” he said, adding that peace was a necessity for both sides.

 “A nationwide ceasefire is the first step for peace and it is the best way and so we should go ahead. The ongoing clashes are undermining the peace process. As skirmishes are now happening, peace talks should not be halted. If we suppose that doubts cause skirmishes, these should be cleared up. We should seek the reasons why the doubts caused the clashes,” he said.

President Thein Sein also reiterated his call for peace in a recent radio address. “The armed conflicts harm not only on residents of conflict-affected areas but also people all over the country … the prevailing peace should be maintained and improved,” he said.    

The Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team, a group of ethnic armed groups, and the government’s Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC) met in September, preparing to form a committee regarding the military code of conduct, but did not reach an agreement. They still disagreed about the principles contained in the draft of the ceasefire deal, relating to the position and survival of ethnic organisations.

According to an official of Myanmar Peace Centre, the next meeting should be within this month. The UWPC will be chaired by President Thein Sein and seek approvals from Union Peacemaking Central Committee (UPCC) led by VicePresident Sai Mauk Kham, Lower House Speaker Thura Shwe Mann, Upper House Speaker Khin Aung Myint and CommanderinChief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.