Ethnic groups should delay NCA signing to after election: Suu Kyi

 

In a meeting with Major Htoo Htoo Lay from the Karen National Union (KNU) and other KNU representatives at her residence in Yangon on August 22, she said ethnic groups should put priority on a political dialogue not the signing. 

Win Htain, a member of the National League for Democracy's central executive committee, quoted Suu Kyi as saying that peace is mentioned in the law. For now, some ethnic armed organisations are declared unlawful by the government. It is also questionable whether the negotiations between the ethnic groups and the government peace delegation are lawful or unlawful.

“She likes the NCA. Armed conflicts have reoccurred since we have not regained our independence. But the best answer is the political dialogue. We have to take time. The ethnic groups will have to consider not to sign the NCA as the signing must be meaningful. All will have to follow it. Some will sign the agreement, but some won’t. In this state, it is not easy for our political party to understand it,” Win Htain said.

After the meeting, KNU’s general secretary Pado Saw Kwel Htoo Win said the NLD pressed for political dialogues and frameworks in advance as it expects to win the election and form a new government.

The meeting took place before the meeting of ethnic armed groups and top government figures, originally scheduled for August 25. The meeting was eventually postponed to next month, according to Phado Saw Kywe Htoo Win, a member of ethnics’ special delegation, due to complications inside ethnic armed groups themselves. The decision to postpone the meeting followed the ethnic leaders summit in Chiang Mai during August 21-24.

President Thein Sein is expected to attend the meeting. 

“The ethnic groups sent a letter to Union Minister Aung Min (the vice-chairman of Union Peacemaking Work Committee), saying that the meeting would be postponed to another month. The ethnics demanded to postpone the meeting until the middle of the next month,” Hla Maung Shwe of Myanmar Peace Centre said.

The postponement was likely because of the government's decision to exclude some ethnic armed groups from the NCA signing, while the ethnics insisted that all groups must be included. 

The government welcomed only 15 groups to the NCA signing and left the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Arakan Army (AA), Phone Kyar Shin’s Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Wa National Organisation (WNO), the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), and the Arakan National Council (ANC) out of the picture. 

“Different ethnic organisations have different ideas. It is not easy to be the same. Some organisations desire to sign the NCA before the new government is formed, but some want it signed by the new government. The Chin National Front wants to do this with the current government. President Thein Sein is desirous of signing the NCA in his time. Moreover, the president wants to end more than 60 years of armed conflicts. The meeting will seek ways for ending the civil war,” Dr Salai Lian Hmone, a member of the ethnic special delegation, said.

Hla Maung Shwe of Myanmar Peace Centre remained confident that the NCA could be signed before the election.

“The government and the ethnics are trying to sign the NCA before the election. I don’t think it would be impossible. The NCA is already finished,” Hla Maung Shwe said.