to sign the NCA in the first week of October.
Last Sunday [Sept. 20], 8 representatives from ethnic armed groups and government’s Union Peace-making Working Committee (UPWC), including Union Minister U Aung Min, had a meeting at the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC), wherein they agreed to meet on October 3 in order to set the NCA inking date.
“Today [Sept. 20] to set the date for signing NCA, government representatives and ethnic armed group representatives held a meeting. Both sides agreed to have a preliminary meeting on October 3. At the meeting, a specific date for inking NCA will be officially announced. Now, we only set the day for next meeting,” said U Nyo Ohn Myit, of MPC.
According to U Nyo Ohn Myit, Chin National Front (CNF), Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), and National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Khaplang) (NSCN-K), won’t be able to attend the preliminary meeting because they have central conferences within their committees, respectively. However, they will attend the NCA inking conference.
The ethnic armed groups will also hold a meeting, regarding the matters of the NCA inking, on September 28 to 30 in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. After this meeting, both ethnic armed groups and government representatives will meet on October 3 in order to decide for the date of NCA inking.
At the meeting with UPWC, on September 20, representatives from eight out of fifteen ethnic armed groups were in attendance.
The presented 8 ethnic armed groups are Pa O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), Karen National Union (KNU), National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), All Burma’s Students Democratic Front (ABSDF) and KNU/KNLA-PC.
Meanwhile, the UPWC held a meeting with civil society organizations (CSOs) on September 20, at the MPC, wherein 30 representatives from CSOs were in attendance.
At the meeting, the vice-chairman of UPWC and Union Minister U Aung Min and Minister for President’s Office U Soe Thein urged the CSOs to cooperate in order to stop having armed conflicts and implement the NCA inking.
“The NCA text does not belong to the government. It belongs to everyone. So, we would like to urge CSOs help to cooperate in order to be able to sign the NCA. Your sector [CSOs] is very important. So, we would like CSOs to work together to have the NCA signed,” said Union Minister U Aung Min.
“We as the only government group, cannot solely make the NCA. So, as CSOs, your involvement and cooperation is also necessary. CSOs can help in order to be able to implement the NCA. So, we, the government, invite CSOs to cooperate in the NCA inking,” said Minister U Soe Thein.
According to MPC, although 15 ethnic armed groups are invited to sign NCA text in the first week of October, the MPC is yet to be able to state which armed groups will participate in NCA inking.
