Burma Link | September 2, 2016

Tar Parn La, Head of Foreign Department of the Palaung State Liberation Front/Ta’ang National Liberation Army (PSLF/TNLA), commented to Burma Link about the PSLF/TNLA’s absence in the 21st Century Panglong Conference (21CPC) that commenced in Naypyidaw on August 31st and is currently under way. Despite the conference representing a step forward in the peace process, there are significant reasons to remain cautious about the conference as key stakeholders such as the PSLF/TNLA as well as the Arakan Army (AA) and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) were excluded and denied a chance to take part. These are PSLF/TNLA’s views about the conference and prospects for peace.*

 

Q: How do you feel about the 21CPC starting without the PSLF/TNLA?

If we have to declare our point of view, on the 21st Century Panglong Conference that is running currently, we assume that this is an incomplete conference that is running without all stakeholders, and this is one of the conferences with a lot of requirements. Although the decision was made by the UPDJC [Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee] on the 15th August that the conference will be held as all inclusive, that policy was not taken to be implemented. Especially, we see that it’s intently aimed and not implemented for the group of PSLF/TNLA and its allies, not to be able to join the conference.

 

Q: Why are the three groups, the TNLA, AA and MNDAA, unable to take part?

We already released our statement that we are ready to attend the 21st Century Panglong Conference. And also, we are always ready to continually cooperate in the peace process in Burma (Myanmar) that is led by the NLD government, Myanmar’s Tatmadaw and EAOs, and to stop the battles that are occurring with the military groups, then finding the way to have a dialogue to solve the problem by politically means.

However, we doubt that the government and military, whether they are willing to have a policy to stop the fighting till the end or not. From a part of Peace Process in Burma (Myanmar), that is led by the current government, military and EAOs; the military is trying to ban the TNLA, AA and MNDAA from being able to join the 21st Century Panglong Conference.

Myanmar’s Tatmadaw claimed that If TNLA, AA and MNDAA are willing to be participate in the conference, there is a policy mention for those groups that “they must give and declare a promise that they are going to dis-arm or surrender to Myanmar’s Tatmadaw”. If we have to be exactly clear on this point, other organizations like others EAOs don’t have to accept or pass any policy to join the conference, but for the organizations of TNLA, AA and MNDAA, we have been banned and given a policy which couldn’t be accepted and followed in order to be able to join the 21st Century Panglong Conference although we are willing to have a dialogue by political means to find a way to solve the problems.

 

Q: How do you feel about the NLD-led Government and prospects for peace?

According to the speech that Mister President U Htin Kyaw has given at the parliament, we assume that the NLD is trying to implement the process of national reconciliation, internal peace, and to adapt a Federal Democracy Constitution for Burma as the policy that they are holding and following is what they have given with the election’s declaration.

But, the NLD itself has to depend on the former regime government and base their work on and consider the military a lot during the implementation of the policies. Especially, when the NLD is trying to gain peace in domestic work programs and to stop civil war within the country, which could not be likely to be achieved, we can see that the NLD is still using former leadership from the regime government in order to be able to change the policies held by the former government and it is taking a lot of valuable time and not going forward as quickly as they want.

Mind-set, policies and conceptions of the former dictatorship’s communities and military definitely have to be changed. It will be hardly to gain a great result if they do not change those mentioned above. By the time the civil war has ended, and when it is time to start the process of national equality, self-determination, and found a federal democratic state, we are worried that it will take a very long time or be delayed like in the SPDC era. The country is very poor, and the longer time it takes to rebuild the entire country, the more harm will have been done for the country. However, in order to stop civil war, the power and mandate is not much within NLD government, as [there is] the 2008 constitution, the military is the only group that can do [for the peace process] and be a key-player, so it will be a harder crisis for the NLD to reach their aim.

That’s why; we perceive that the NLD government has to bravely [work] to change the country, and implement [changes] in the sectors, which need to be changed as quick as possible. For the process of internal peace, the fighting all over the country is also needed to end as soon as possible and political dialogue or meeting, which will include all the EAOs, is needed to be attempted.

 

Q: Any message you would like to send or anything else you would like to add?

Although, we couldn’t join in 21st Century Panglong Conference that is currently being held from August 31 to September 4th of 2016, We wish to attend the next meeting to solve the political problems. The reason is, PSLF/TNLA holds a policy for “Solving the political problems as politically.” That’s why, after the 21st Century Panglong Conference period that is currently being held, the military have to stop the fighting that they started and [we are] hoping that a meeting for political [discussions] will happen in the future. None of EAOs could be left behind in the process to end the civil war in Burma and will not be able to find out the result.

 

Tar Parn La

Head of Foreign Department

PSLF/TNLA

 

*This is a translation from Burmese and some of the text has been edited for clarity of meaning.

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