Gov’t, KNPP Unable to Meet as Previously Agreed

“Our delegation met with the PC (Peace Commission) while they were going to attend the third session of the 21st Century Panglong. We discussed about holding another meeting in the mid of this month. We are waiting for the notification letter from them. It hasn’t arrived yet. Nothing has come from their side. We are waiting for the letter,” he said.

The KNPP attended the third session of the 21st Century Panglong Conference as observers on July 11. It held an informal meeting with the Peace Commission while it was in Naypyidaw to attend the conference and both sides have agreed to meet again in Yangon in mid-August to discuss the signing of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA).

After two members of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) – the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU) – signed the NCA on February 13, the KNPP held an official meeting with the Peace Commission in Loikaw on April 26 and two informal meetings – once in Yangon in March and another in Naypyidaw in July.

“They want to discuss about the issue on signing the NCA, but we are still unable to sign it due to various reasons,” said Khu Plu Reh.

He explained that the KNPP has been facing difficulties since its Peace Implementation Committee started holding informal meetings with the Peace Commission from the National Reconciliation and Peace Center in Naypyidaw on March 7, 2018 to implement the state-level and union-level ceasefire agreements.

“When we look at this peace process, there are still misunderstandings between the NCA signatories and the peace process they are carrying out. When we look at it as a whole, there isn’t much in the path to the building of a genuine federal union. That’s why it’s a little difficult for us to sign the NCA,” he added.

NMG has tried to contact the Peace Commission member U Naing Ngan Linn via the telephone to inquire about the halt in peace dialogue with the KNPP, but he did not answer the phone.

The KNPP is an ethnic armed organization that has been established since 1957. Although it signed a ceasefire with the Tatmadaw government on March 21, 1995, the ceasefire fell apart three months later after clashes broke out between them.

The KNPP signed a state-level ceasefire with the government in Loikaw, Kayah (Karenni) State in March 2012 and the union-level ceasefire on June 9, 2012.