invited to witness eight ethnic armed groups and the government sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA).
The decision to invite said leaders was made at a meeting held by representatives from seven of the eight ethnic armed groups as well as government officials on Thursday [October 8], at Myanmar Peace Center (MPC), in Rangoon.
“What we and minister U Aung Min agreed upon, is to invite Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U Khun Htun Oo to the NCA inking and to be present as witnesses. And, when we offered to invite U Aye Thar Aung and Ko Min Ko Naing too, the government side also accepted,” said Padoh Saw Khwe Htoo Win, general secretary of Karen National Union (KNU).
The joint-committee for organizing the NCA implementation will also invite respective individual chairpersons from 92 political parties and representatives from civil society organizations to the NCA inking.
Others invited include international representatives from embassies in Burma and Thailand, as well as delegates from China, Japan, India, the EU, and the UN, to witness the NCA inking.
It is, however, reported that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi won’t attend the inking ceremony. The NLD will appoint a representative to be present at the NCA inking.
“We will have our representative present at the NCA inking. But NLD’s chairwoman Daw Aung Suu Kyi won’t join. We can yet tell why she won’t join,” said U Win Htein, a member of NLD’s executive committee, as the party announced that on Saturday, October 10.
Last September, U Khun Htun Oo already told the media that because not all ethnic armed groups are included in the NCA inking, he would not attend the ceremony, even if he were to be invited.
Likewise, in an interview with IMNA, on October 9, U Aye Thar Aung, leader of United Nationalities Alliance (UNA) said that he would discuss with his UNA members first whether he should attend as a witness.
Although there are rumours that some leaders, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, will not be present at the NCA inking, attendance will be confirmed on October 12, according to U Hla Maung Shwe, senior advisor of Myanmar Peace Center (MPC).
The ethnic armed groups that have agreed with the government to sign the NCA are KNU, Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), KNU/KNLA-PC, Pa-O National Liberation Organization, Chin National Front (CNF), Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), All Burma’s Students Democratic Front (ABSDF), and Restoration Council of Shan State.
