The Peace Process Steering Team (PPST), composed of ethnic armed organizations that signed the National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) affirmed its commitment to resolving political issues through political methods.
Colonel Khun Okkar, the patron of the Pa-O National Liberation Army (PNLO), stated that the ceasefire will persist, and assistance will be extended to those fleeing the conflict arising from the current armed struggle.
“We will continue to maintain the ceasefire and continue the peace process as long as we can. We will try to make everyone participate in the political discussions. Political problems are not solved with weapons. In a group that maintains these principles, there will be no armed conflict. People who want to go to armed conflict must reject these principles. As for us, if there is a political discussion, we must all participate. Only NCA signatories can help the refugees who are a side effect of the armed conflict,” he added.
The 10 NCA signatories are the Karen National Union (KNU); Chin National Front (CNF); All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF); Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council (KNLA-PC); Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO); Arakan Liberation Party (ALP); Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS); Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA); New Mon State Party (NMSP); and Lahu Democratic Union (LDU).
Since the military coup on February 1, 2021, the KNU, CNF and ABSDF have reduced their participation levels in the PPST and have not attended peace process talks.
The KNU, CNF and ABSDF are working together with the revolutionary forces to overthrow the military junta.
Colonel Saw Kyaw Kyut, spokesperson for PPST, stated, “If we are to build a federal democratic union, all the democratic forces must participate and talk, and even if we say federal, we cannot ignore the fact that all the ethnic groups in our country can speak together. This is an essential scene. However, there are various challenges and difficulties in our political meetings and discussion during this period. Sometimes there are parts of working with the PPST Steering Committee. In any case, we have a common understanding, so that we can find a solution to the political problem in a political way.”Â
On January 10th, the ASEAN Special Representative from Laos, will begin duties as the rotating ASEAN Chair for Myanmar, and the Chair has already held talks with some of the ethnic armed groups that have signed the NCA.
