February 9th, 2022
The Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) will not attend the military council’s pre-coordination meeting on the perpetual peace talk, said Col Khun Okka, a leading committee member of the PPST.
“As the PPST has ten members, there may be different views among the PPST members. The PPST has sent the letters calling on the Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) to decide whether they attend it or not. We don’t force them to attend or skip it. According to the information, four or five groups may join it,” Khun Okkar added.
On February 6th, the military council invited both NCA Signatories and non-NCA signatories to the pre-coordination meeting of the perpetual peace talk.
He assumed that the NCA Signatories—the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and the Karen National Union/ Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council (KNU/KNLA-PC)—are likely to attend it.
But the KNU and the Chin National Front (CNF) have responded that they would not attend the meeting.
Col Naw Bu, Spokesperson of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) said: “The KIO’s central committee has not made any decision. I don’t know whether the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC) will attend it or not. I have not received any directive from the central committee.”
Although only 10 of around 20 armed organizations in ethnic areas have signed the NCA, fighting with Myanmar military continues in some ethnic areas.
Local defense forces which have taken up arms have emerged after the military troops carried out brutal crackdowns on the anti-coup protestors.
Fighting, arrests, killings and arson attacks on the government offices, police stations, bridges, roads, factories and houses are reported in the regions where the majority of Bamar people are living, every day.
Sent by the MNA.