Armed groups disagree on ceasefire

Five armed organisations, including the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Arakan Army (AA) and Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance (MNDAA), have not reached an agreement with the government to discuss a ceasefire. 

The draft agreement was signed on March 31 after more than 18 months of negotiations between the government’s Union Peacemaking Work Committee and Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), a coalition of ethnic armed groups. 

However, the TNLA, AA and MNDAA held a meeting in Panghsan, Shan State, in early May, threatening to withdraw from the NCCT. Those organisations’ leaders have boycotted the Law Khee Lar summit and only sent lower-level representatives. 

“We can make a decision if the agreement is fully supported. This is one point,” said Naing Han Tha. 

“Another point is that every group will be able to sign the accord if we decide to allow them to do so after they have agreed on the process. But some say they could be sidelined while some refuse to do so. There is no problem if all the groups want to sign the ceasefire.”  

There are 16 ethnic armed groups which have already agreed a ceasefire with the government and 11 of them belong to NCCT. 

Non-members, such as the United Wa State Army and Mongla branch of the MNDAA, said they would not sign the agreement but would participate in the peace dialogue. The Shan State Army did not comment. 

On June 3, General N’ Ban La, vice-chairperson of the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), urged TNLA, MNDAA to sign the agreement during the meeting.

He told the gathered ethnic leaders that they all face similar suppression in their lives and need to negotiate with the government for the well-being and political aims of each ethnic group. 

General N’ Ban La said: “It is obvious that President Thein Sein and national leaders are pretending to build the federal union. Some may believe it. It seems the president is talking about the sort of federal union mentioned in the 2008 constitution. I think all must notice that the 2008 constitution only mentions federal-like provisions. We should all be aware of this when the federal union is created based on the constitution.”

The purpose of the Law Khee Lar summit is for ethnic leaders to discuss the prospect of approving the NCA. The NCA was drafted by the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) and the Union Peacemaking Working Committee (UPWC). General N’ Ban La attended the conference as a representative of United Nationalities Federation Council. The summit runs from June 2 to June 6.