Govt, ethnic groups pressed to proceed with peace talk

Gathering at the ninth CSO peace forum at the Myanmar Peace Centre in Yangon last weekend, they demanded pledges from the Union Peacemaking Working Committee (UPWC) and the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) to continue peace talks beyond the 2015 general election.

The CSOs hope the pledges will hold both parties accountable for implementing previously settled points, signing a nationwide ceasefire deal, holding a political dialogue, approving a peace deal without bringing it before the Union parliament again, drafting a policy on peace building and directing financial support toward programmes that support peace. 

Union Minister Aung Min, the vice-chairman of the UPWC, spoke with delegates at the peace forum. He pointed out that all the points put forward by the CSOs are already included in the draft of the Nationwide Ceasefire Accord, so if the accord is signed, all those points would be satisfied.

Also at the forum, CSO members discussed military matters, the issue of building trust with participants in the peace process and public participation in the peace process.

“Our aim is to spotlight why the peace process is delayed, despite all of the agreed-upon points between the two sides,” said Nyein Foundation representative Nan Yaw.

The CSOs also urged both the government and ethnic armed groups not to sell lands where conflict has displaced people from their homes.  Their proposal that the land abandoned in the wake of conflicts should not be sold was sent to both the UPWC, which represents the government, and the NCCT, which represents the ethnic armed groups.

The civic organisations’ message also said arresting and abusing people under legal pretexts, including the unlawful association law, should be stopped. 

“If authorities are found to be arresting innocent people using those laws, action shall be taken effectively. Bomb and bullet shells shall be removed from villages where conflicts occurred. Villages shall not be held hostage, and sexual abuse shall be stopped,” the message said.

The organisations also stressed that internally displaced persons (IDPs) should be provided with necessary assistance, and media should be free to collect information in conflict areas. 

Meanwhile, the CSOs tasked itself to compile a report on Myanmar’s human rights situation and send it to the United Nations.

The report, the first of its kind, will emphasise freedom of expression, the role of groups protecting human rights, farmland and development, the role of the human rights commission, legal reforms, the rule of law, freedom of religious rights and armed conflicts.

“We represent more than 20 organisations. We are collectively compiling the report. Our heading is Universal Periodic Review. The first draft will be issued after all organisations put forward the points they want. After that we will call a meeting in order to respond to the suggestions. We hope the draft should have been finished by mid-March and the report will be sent at the end of the month,” Aung Myo Min of Equality Myanmar said. 

 “We have a report on human rights to be submitted to the UN. The organisations working for child rights will put forward a report on child rights,” Aung Myo Min said.

The compilation of the report started last November and includes input from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), Bureau Partnership, Equality Myanmar, ethnic human rights organisations, community-based bodies from Yangon and Mandalay, groups representing farmers and workers and different religious groups. 

The CSOs claim the government turned a blind eye to the rights of individual citizens and the voices of the people, that the administrative sector interfered in the judiciary and that the current reform process has stalled.