Five NCA signatories, junta discuss holding elections, amending Constitution

By Admin 01 Sep 2023

DMG Newsroom
1 September 2023, Sittwe

Five signatories to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) and the junta’s National Solidarity and Peace Negotiation Committee (NSPNC) signed a nine-point agreement after holding talks for three days.

The five NCA signatories said the meeting from August 29-31 intended to de-escalate political and military tensions in the country.

“It is important that this country has peace. Otherwise, there will be economic troubles and loss of human resources. So, our objective of restoring peace is concerned with everyone. We are trying for everyone,” said Saw Mra Razar Lin, a spokesperson for the five signatories.

The two sides discussed proposed amendments to the military-drafted 2008 Constitution, holding of an election, and delivery of humanitarian assistance in areas controlled by ethnic armed organisations. They signed four basic agreements and five common agreements for future cooperation.

“I am not authorised to comment on the results of the discussion,” Saw Mra Razar Lin told DMG.

The five NCA signatories proposed that their representatives be allowed to participate in discussions with international humanitarian organisations. They also discussed holding an event to mark the eight anniversary of the signing of the NCA on October 15.

At a joint press conference following the meeting, spokesman for the junta’s peace negotiation team Colonel Wunna Aung said it was agreed at the meeting to amend 21 provisions in the 2008 Constitution, without providing details.

The talks between the regime and those NCA signatories are a sham, said politicians.

“Those groups are meeting the regime and discussing NCA because they have no other choice. The regime is holding talks with them because it wants to deceive the international community into thinking that it is sticking to the NCA, and that it is holding peace talks with ethnic armed organisations to establish federalism. It is using ethnic armed organisations to deceive the international community,” said politician U Pe Than.
Among the five ethnic armed organisations that have frequently held talks with the regime are the Arakan Liberation Party, Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council, Lahu Democratic Union and Pa-O National Liberation Organization. Compared with the country’s largest and most influential ethnic armed organisations, these groups are relatively lacking in popularity, influence and size.