The Peace Process Steering Team (PPST), announced that it welcomes the Federal Democracy Charter drafted by the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH).
The Charter represents a significant step forward in the establishment of a federal union.
Following a weekend meeting (April 3-4) the PPST released a statement urging the military led State Administration Council (SAC) to cease its violence and killing of unarmed civilians, and to release all detained people immediately. It also stated that it welcomes the CRPH’s statement to continue supporting the civil disobedience movement, and the call to abolishing the 2008 Constitution, which was a creation of the military.
PPST’s spokesperson, Dr. Salai Lian Hmong Sakhong, said the “ PPST includes representatives from 10 Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs). But individual EAOs’ positions are not the same. The CRPH can contact us for support but at the level of collaboration, there are challenges for some groups. We the PPST make decisions but with conscience. Regarding the EAOs, for now, it is just at the level of welcoming the efforts of the CRPH, but they are being careful with their words.”
Dr. Salai Lian Hmong Sakhong added that not all of the EAO have signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. .
“The majority of our EAOs want to collaborate with the organization that is working hard for a federal union establishment. We have to think carefully regarding the best approach for collaboration. Of the 10 EAOs, there are differences between groups and there are differences between states. Yet we all want each organization or state to think and make the decision for how to best get involved and collaborate. It is not a decision that can be made at the PPST,” said Dr. Salai Lian Hmong Sakhong.
According to Dr. Nai Pon Nya Mon, the Executive Director of Ethnic Nationalities Affairs Center (ENAC), if the CRPH and PPST collaborate, the NCA would be broken, and then there would be war in ethnic areas.
“The PPST does not like the NCA approach anymore. But if they want to choose CRPH’s approach, I think, they can. At the same time, they have to think about how far they can go in a military war on the ground. That is the main point. If the PPST collaborates with the CRPH, the NCA will be broken. Yet, it is not just the NCA but the bilateral state-level ceasefire agreement will be also broken. If both the NCA and the bilateral agreement are broken, there will be war in their regions,” said Dr. Nai Pon Nya Mon.
The PPST is made of 10 ethnic armed organizations that signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) with the government. These 10 EAOs are the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), the Karen National Union (KNU), the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), the Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army – the Peace Council (KNU/KNLA-PC), the Chin National Front (CNF), the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), the Pa O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), the All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF), and the New Mon State Party (NMSP), and the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU).
