The members of NCA-S EAO (Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement – Signatories, Ethnic Armed Organizations) held the Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) meetings in Chiang Mai, Thailand from August 21 to 24 to discuss on how to continue to work towards the goals of the peace process.
The meeting agenda includes a discussion on how to overcome the barriers in the peace process and the four-point peace process proposal of the government, a further discussion whether the 4th session of 21st Panglong Conference should be called this year or not, and the group cohesion of PPST, said Yawd Serk, the chairperson of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS).
“This meeting is crucial for EAO members and the peace process. The public is watching closely to see this meeting’s outcome. Everyone is expecting good results from this discussion,” General Yawd Serk Interim Team Leader, the Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) stated on the opening day of the meeting.
The government’s Peace Commission discussed with 10 NAC-signatory groups in Chiang Mai on August 19 to continue a further discussion between top government leaders and top leaders of EAOs members.
U Zaw Htay, spokesperson of the State Counsellor’s Office said “after the previous Panglong Conference, we are not able to arrange any official discussion. The KNU has temporarily suspended from the peace process discussion, and RCSS has resigned from the JMC membership. RCSS has announced to get involved in this path again but still no updates from KNU yet. The government has collected the team’s concerns and [we] have submitted a four-point proposal.”
The four main points are 1) implementation of NCA 2) implementation of the peace process in the context of before and after the 2020 election, 3) the principles of democracy and federal unions 4) interval programs, he added.
The government intends to hold the Fourth Session of the Union Peace Conference-21st Century Panglong at the end of the year or in January 2020, and it is still meeting with NCA-signatory groups. Also, there will be further discussion of the peace process with non-signatory groups, who are members of the Northern Alliance, in Kyaing Tong.
Although the introduction of the Myanmar peace process started in 2011 during President U Thein Sein’s leadership, only 10 ethnic armed groups out of 20 have signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement.
