National Solidarity and Peace-making Negotiation Committee (NSPNC) formed by the military council issued a statement on 9 May, claiming that the Karen National Union’s statement over vow to oppose the military dictator and cooperate with revolutionary forces goes against the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).
At the recently-completed 17th congress of the KNU, the KNU vowed to fight and eradicate chauvinism and military dictatorship and ensure national equality in accordance with its future processes and cooperate with the revolutionary forces and democratic forces, the statement says.
The current conflicts in the country emerge due to the instigations of those with party attachment and personal cults.
The KNU’s statement goes against the NCA’s provisions and leads to the path of confrontation. It hampers the efforts to build the democratic union aspired by ethnics.
It makes peace and development difficult, according to the military council’s statement.
The agreements were reached at the peace talks with the Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) which could produce good results. It keeps the door open to the remaining groups, according to the statement.
“The military council usually said that it is implementing the peace process and walking on the NCA path. When it is talking about peace on the one hand, the military council’s airstrikes not only on Karen State but also on Sagaing Region makes its purpose more apparent. In my view, the military council wants to push for the NCA by destroying the KNU’s correct stance,” said U Naing Banyar Mon, a political analyst on ethnic affairs at the Mon State Development Center.
The military council said it had to temporarily and inevitably retain the country’s power in accordance with the 2008 Constitution due to electoral frauds and attempts to gain the state power unfairly in 2020.
The military council said several times that after the expiry of the state of emergency, it will hold free and fair elections in accordance with the Constitution. It will hand over the power to the winning party, according to the statement.
U Naing Banyar Mon said: “At present, it is not in a position to happen. Following the coup, the groups which oppose the 2008 Constitution declared the abolition of the constitution. The military council’s efforts to implement the peace process is a step towards reactivating the 2008 Constitution.”
Holding talks according to the provisions of the NCA can achieve lasting peace. This is the right path to the stability, development and national unity, the statement says.
Seven of ten NCA signatories are holding peace talks with the military council. The KNU, the Chin National Front (CNF) and the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) no longer hold talks with the military council and cooperate with the revolutionary force which are defying the military dictatorship.
Since the coup in 2021 till December, 2022, the military council committed war crimes against the civilians in seven KNU-controlled territories with the reports of 1,493 human rights violations and more than 230 airstrikes.
The military council continues to commit similar cases, according to the KNU’s statement.
Sent by Nant Hsan Htee (KIC).