The Government and the Northern Alliance have yet to find the right approach to hold a virtual meeting, reported Colonel Naw Bu, who is in charge of the Information Department with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).
“We are still searching for the right moment to have the online meeting. No exact date has been defined yet. For the online meeting, we are not yet okay with the internet access. So, we are still searching for a better approach for how we will have the meeting,” said Colonel Naw Bu.
Colonel Naw Bu continued that if the meeting between the government and Northern Alliance happens, all four groups of the Alliance must be present and stable internet access must be available for all parties.
The Northern Alliance consists of Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Palaung State Liberation Front/Ta’Ang National Liberation Army (PSLF/TNLA), the United Liberated Army/Arakan Army (ULA/AA) and the Myanmar National Democractic Alliance Army (MNDAA).
“It is not just to meet with the KIA, but with all members of Northern Alliance. If we are okay to have the meeting but not with the other members, it would be a barrier. …So, we are looking for the best approach as to how to have a meeting,” said Colonel Naw Bu.
Colonel Naw Bu added that the KIA is now present in Laiza, but the whereabouts of the other members of the Northern Alliance is not yet known.
COVID-19, limits the potential for holding in-person meetings, and all Northern Alliance members do not have adequate or stable internet access to participate in a virtual meeting.
According to U Hla Muang Shwe, an Advisor for the government’s Peace Program, the meeting between the government and Northern Alliance will be held, but the details of when or how remain unsure.
In a recent statement released by Kachin National Consultative Assembly (KNCA) also known as the WMR, it was suggested that if the government and KIA reached an agreement to bring internally displaced people in Kachin State back home safely, this would help build trust, and represent a significant step towards ending a 70-year long civil war.
Negotiations between the Northern Alliance and the government date back to September 17, 2019 where both sides agreed to discuss 7 points for a bilateral ceasefire agreement.
The government’s Peace Commission and National Reconciliation and Peace Center have held meetings with the Northern Alliance, 5 times since that initial agreement. Those meetings have taken place in Kunming City, China in February 2018, and 4 times in various locations in Myanmar throughout 2019.
