The Peace Process Steering Team (PPST), which is made up of ethnic armed organizations that have signed the ceasefire, said that it will continue to stick to the principle of solving political problem through political means.
Colonel Khun Okkar, the patron of the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), which signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), said that the ceasefire will continue to be maintained and that efforts will be made to provide the aid to the people displaced by current armed conflicts.
“We have laid down this principle. We will continue to maintain the ceasefire stipulated in the NCA. We will continue the peace process as much as possible. We will try to make everyone participate in the political discussions. We don’t solve political problems with weapons. These are the principles that we have held since we signed the NCA. We will continue to stick to them. A group that maintains these principles will not participate in the armed conflict. The groups which want to go to armed conflict must reject these principles. We follow this principle. Nothing happens even if there is no political dialogue. We will keep trying. If the political dialogue emerges, all parties must be included,” Colonel Khun Okkar said.
“Only our NCA signatories have an opportunity to do to help with livelihood and security of the IDPs. So, we will protect the civilians. We will seek humanitarian assistance for them. This is the job we can do the most right now. We are doing it,” Colonel Khun Okkar said.
The NCA was signed by the Karen National Union (KNU), Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), Chin National Front (CNF), All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF), Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), Karen National Union/ Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council (KNU/ KNLA-PC), Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), Pa-O National Liberation Army (PNLO), New Mon State Party (NMSP) and Lahu Democratic Union (LDU).
After the coup on 1 February 2021, the KNU, CNF and ABSDF have reduced their levels of participation in the PPST and have not attended peace process talks.
Currently, the KNU, CNF and ABSDF are jointly fighting to overthrow the military council in collaboration with the revolutionary forces.
PPST spokesperson Colonel Saw Kyaw Nyunt also said that PPST is working consistently to solve political problem through political means.
“If we are to build a federal democratic union, all democratic forces must participate and talk, and even if we say federal, we cannot turn a blind eye to the landscape in which all the ethnic groups in our country can talk together. This is an essential landscape,” Colonel Saw Kyaw Nyunt said.
“At a time when the war has expanded, there are various challenges, difficulties, and crises for the political dialogue. Not all ceasefire groups are not included in the talks,” Colonel Saw Kyaw Nyunt continued.
Sometimes we do it under the title of seven ethnic armed organizations. Sometimes there are parts that work with the PPST Steering Committee. We have a concerted and consistent effort to solve the political problem we already have a common understanding of, through political means,” Colonel Saw Kyaw Nyunt said.
On 10 January, the Laotian ASEAN special envoy to Myanmar, also held talks with some EROs that have signed the NCA.
Sent by IMNA.