The Peace Commission has been able to negotiate with the Tatmadaw on the issue of the New Mon State Party’s public consultations after the Tatmadaw restricted the number of participants, the MNTV reported in its news broadcast on March 12.
The Peace Commission’s secretary U Khin Zaw Oo confirmed to MNTV via telephone that the negotiation went well with the Tatmadaw on the NMSP’s public consultations issue.
However, the NMSP’s central committee member Nai Aung Ma Nge said: “We want it to be official. The Peace Commission said they will negotiate for us, but we are concerned about having problems if an official letter is not released.”
“Actually, I believe the NMSP doesn’t need to ask anyone’s permission since the public consultations will be held in its controlled areas. The NMSP is not a terrorist organization. It has been removed from 17/1 [of the Unlawful Associations Act] so the public can come and go in its controlled areas,” said Min Zayar Oo from the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee’s secretarial group.
However, the NMSP will need to ask for permission if it want to hold the public consultation outside its military controlled area, he added.
The NMSP has planned to hold public consultations near Kawbein-Min Ywar in Kawkareik Township (NMSP’s Thaton District), near Innkhwa-Taung Pauk Village (NMSP’s Mawlamyine District), Wel Zin Village in the east of Ye (NMSP’s Dawei District), Japan Well Village at Payathonzu [Three Pagodas Pass] border. It also plans to hold a public consultation in either Yangon or Bago, where the Mon people reside.
Although the NMSP has planned to hold these public consultations before holding the national-level political dialogue for the Mon people with around 600 representatives in Ye from April 6 to 9, they have been cancelled after the Tatmadaw’s Southeast Command told them not to have more than 30 participants in each public consultation.
