“The matter of signing [a ceasefire] should not be done in a hurry. We, NMSP, see [that the] United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC)’s plan is correct; recognized rules must be certain. Only after such things are certain, then [the NCCT and UPWC] should think about signing…if they [the UPWC] have had talks with [the] NCCT with full willingness, this [the signing of a ceasefire agreement] is already done. But now, they are not going straight away; they are making delays. That’s what it seems to us,” said Nai Htaw Mon, commenting on nationwide ceasefire talks.
Nai Htaw Mon continued that, although the government has accepted the result of ceasefire talks, the Tatmadaw (Burmese Army) does not seem to accept it. The Tatmadaw has also launched offensive attacked against ethnic armed groups, which Nai Htaw Mon alleges are political tricks employed by the government.
In his speech at the Mon National Day event, Nai Htaw Mon stated that the ceasefire talks continue to be postponed. At the moment, he said, due the attention of international organizations, it is a good time and good opportunity for ethnic groups and political parties to work hard for the formation of a federal union.
Since peace and development in Burma is for the public good, Nai Htaw Mon urges that the public sectors participate in the peace process. The responsibility to establish peace, he said, is not the duty of political parties [only], but the responsibility of the public, including women and youths [as well], in order to achieve the genuine federal union which everyone demands. Nai Htaw Mon stressed that everyone in the public sector, political sector, and ethnic armed groups must work hand-in-hand to realize peace.
The 68th Mon National Day celebrations, led by the NMSP, were held yesterday in Japan Well Village, Three Pagoda Pass Township, NMSP-controlled territory on the Thai-Burma border. Celebrations began at 8:00 am, with thousands of locals and Thai-Mon in attendance. Letters sent from UNFC and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Chairwoman of the National League for Democracy (NLD) were read during the morning ceremony.
The 68th Mon National Day fell on February 4th this year, and was celebrated throughout Mon State and Mon communities around the world.
