“The fighting broke out as the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) and the Union Peace-Making Working Committee (UPWC) [met for their most recent meeting]. Whether it [the fighting] is coincidental,[with] the UNFC’s released statement, and [the committee’s position on the matter], has left us with suspicion. [It] seems to be [that] everything is done coincidently,” said Khun Oo Reh, in an interview with IMNA.
The UNFC’s first plenary session was held on October 20-22, 2014 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The committee released a statement from the meeting, raising concerns that, “since the government army continued to launch offensives in Kachin, Shan, and Karen states, and now prepares to attack other ethnic states, it [raises] suspicions [as to] whether [the government] really wants peace in the country or not.”
Khun Oo Reh also stated that, “this situation [the fighting] causes [one to] question whether the government [army] wants to meet the NCCT with honest intent, while our side [the NCCT] does wants to meet with honest intent. This is not [an accusation], but [these actions are] causing us to be suspicious.”
According to the UNFC’s October 22nd statement, although the government said it is carrying out peace talks, in reality, there is no such equality or justice; in addition, talks are moving backwards and have not reached concrete agreements.
In regards to the next 7th round peace talks between the NCCT and the UPWC, Khun Oo Reh said that “it seems that it is [up to] the government side to decide [when to have the talks]. The UNFC will continue to [work alongside] the NCCT. We will only know when the government is ready to sit down for talks when the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) informs us, as they are the group organizing the talk.”
Khun Oo Reh continued that the UNFC will search for a way in which it will be able to join, hand-in-hand, with non-UNFC armed groups and democracy forces, in order to create a successful national peace program.
“We hope that the NCCT and the UPWC will meet [again] by the end of October. After that, [the] signing [of nationwide ceasefire] will take place,” said U Hla Maung Shwe, Senior Advisor of the MPC.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Chairman of the National League for Democracy (NLD) spoke to reporters at the Pyithu Hluttaw on October 20th in Nay Pyi Daw, stating, “one side is talking about the ceasefire, but the other side is launching attacks. So, something should be done to fix this matter, and it should be recognized as so.”
The first peace talk between the UPWC and the NCCT was held on November 4-5, 2013, in the Myitkyina capital of Kachin State. This past year the UPWC and the NCCT have held six rounds of talks discussing the drafting of a single Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).
