Mon State Chief Minister has urged New Mon State Party (NMSP) leaders to sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) during an informal meeting between the Mon State Government and NMSP executives last Sunday.
On February 28, the state government invited NMSP leaders to the State Government Office for an unofficial meeting. At the gathering, Chief Minister U Ohn Myint recommended that NMSP’s Chairman Nai Htaw Mon sign the NCA, according to NMSP’s Home Affairs Officer in-charge Nai Win Hla.
“Our chairman participated in the libation ceremony for Ramonnyarattha Buddhist University. And, the state government wants to have an informal meeting with us while we are in Moulmein. What’s exceptional is that government has encouraged us to sign the NCA,” said Nai Win Hla, in an interview with MNA.
Representing NMSP at the meeting were NMSP Chair Nai Htaw Mon, Nai Win Hla, central executive member Nai Hongsar Bhonekhine and Lieutenant Colonel M Seik Chan. In attendance on the government side were Chief Minister U Ohn Myint, State Security and Border Affair Minister Colonel Win Naing Oo, [newly appointed] State Hluttaw chairwoman Daw Tin Ei and U Zaw Lin Htun, secretary of State Government Membership.
Following the meeting with the State government, the NMSP leaders met with Major General Myo Win, commander of Southeast Command.
“The matter of the NCA inking depends on the upcoming [new] government. If we want to sign it, it will be signed,” said Nai Win Hla.
Nai Win Hla added that the NMSP refused to sign the NCA because other ethnic armed groups were not invited to the NCA inking. Although the NMSP accepted the NCA points, it decided against the signing due to the union government’s continued business-as-usual efforts.
Likewise, in late September 2015, the Chief Minister U Aung Min met with NMSP Chairman Nai Htaw Mon at Myo Lae Monastery in Thanbyuzayat Town. It was there that the minister pushed for the inking of the NCA. However, the NMSP refused to sign on the grounds that the government excluded the other six ethnic armed groups to the NCA inking.
Eight ethnic armed groups signed the NCA with the union government on November 15, 2015, and the first union peace conference was held in Nay Pyi Taw in January, 2016.
The NMSP, an ethnic armed group in southern Burma, has remained a non-signatory to the NCA. However, it is yet to engage in armed conflict with the Tatmdaw troops as fighting in other parts of the country rage on.
