“On our side, we welcome [the KNU back]. [And] what points, and how those points should be discussed, can be discussed with other [UNFC] majority members. At the [last] conference, we also discussed about this,” Nai Hongsar told IMNA on October 30th.
At the KNU’s emergency meeting held from October 23-29, committee members discussed the issue in depth, and agreed that the KNU would temporarily suspend its membership of the UNFC, but would continue to negotiate with the UNFC.
“According to our KNU’s policy, the points that [the KNU] cannot accept would be negotiated between UNFC leaders and KNU representatives. If negotiations [succeed], and do not affect KNU policy, we will re-join the UNFC,” said KNU executive committee member Padoh Saw Thamein Tun.
The KNU does not accept the formation of the UNFC’s one-party constitution, which follows a top to bottom format. The current format can cause difficulties while engaging with the government during the peace process, and the KNU believes that the UNFC should draft a new constitution as a united force.
“Another point is when forming [a] federal army; it is the same [situation]. When it comes to implementing the peace process and ceasefire agreement, the government will see it differently because it is set as [a] south part division, middle part division, and north part division. This can delay the ceasefire talks,” said Padoh Saw Thamein Tun.
According to the statement released at the KNU’s emergency central permanent committee meeting, although the KNU has temporarily suspended its membership of the UNFC, all ethnic armed groups maintain a common agreement for equality, self-determination, federalism, and national peace, and the KNU will continue to cooperate with an individual ethnic armed group or groups of ethnic armed groups.
“We have only suspended [our membership] from the UNFC temporarily, not permanently. We will continue to negotiate the differences between some points of the UNFC and KNU’s policies,” said Padoh Saw Thamein Tun.
According to Nai Hongsar, the UNFC’s policy for regarding the formation of its central executive committee is stipulated in the alliance’s constitution, which was drafted more than three years ago, and follows similar format for forming an executive committee as that of previous alliances. Nai Hongsar states that during this period of rapid transition, now is the time at all ethnic groups should be united, and as such the UNFC’s constitutional format for appointing its executive committee is the most appropriate format to achieve that objective.
The KNU held its emergency central permanent conference from October 23 to 29 in Lay-wa, KNU’s Hpa-an district headquarters; 47 out of 50 central committee members were present at the conference.
