December 31st, 2021
The Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) which have signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) have responded that the one which violates the NCA is just the military council.
In the statement dated December 30th, the military council called on the EAOs which have signed the NCA to abide by the provisions of the NCA and take action against any groups which violate the NCA.
Pado Saw Taw Nee, head of the Foreign Affairs Department of the KNU told the KIC: “The NCA is a new political culture to solve political problems by political means. The military seized the country’s power in a coup on February 1st, 2021 by using violent means. To be exact, the military which seized the country’s power violates the NCA. The military is a group which destroys the NCA’s pledges, political agreements and the agreements which comprise the views of all organizations.”
In the statement, the military arrested those who would involve in the terrorist acts and seized weapons. The army has accused that the KNU is helping those terrorist acts.
“The military accused that the KNU has accepted those who defy the junta. What I want to say is the dissidents would not take shelter in our territories if the military did not stage a coup and use the terrorist means. We allow them to seek refuge according to international law and on the human rights and humanitarian ground,” he told the KIC.
In the statement, the Tatmadaw said it exactly follows the agreements enshrined in the NCA. It has opened up the channels for peace talks by forming the Peace-Making Coordination Committee.
The Tatmadaw on its side broke the peace agreements throughout history. At present, the military council broke the NCA’s essences, said Khun Myint Tun, Spokesperson of the Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) formed with 10 NCA signatories.
Khun Myint Tun, Spokesperson of the PPST told the KIC: “The essence of the NCA is to solve political problems by political means. The seizure of power is the violation of the NCA’s essence. Both sides have agreed to the NCA’s essence that they shall defend the lives and properties of the public. The junta’s treatment of the public as enemies, including the Phruso massacre, across the country is the violation of the NCA.”
Although the military council has opened up the channel for peace talks, it is impossible to hold a peace talk with the coup leaders without the people’s elected government. The PPST has already said in its statement that it shall not hold a peace talk with the junta, Khun Myint Tun continued.
Since the coup, the peace process and political dialogues have stalled and anti-coup protests erupted across the country. Due to the military’s brutal crackdowns on protestors and arrests, tortures and killings, a lot of political activists and youths have fled to the ethnic-controlled areas.
Fighting erupted between the junta troops and the ethnic armed organizations which opposed the coup as the junta troops invaded the EAO-controlled areas to arrest the dissidents with the use of excessive force. Fighting has displaced many people.
Sent by the KIC.