SAC seeks ‘pragmatic results’ with new peace process committees: military spox

By DMG 18 Feb 2021

DMG Newsroom
18 February 2021, Sittwe 

The chairman of the State Administration Council’s Information Committee has said the military government will set up three new peace committees during the state of emergency to work toward achieving genuine peace and “pragmatic results.” 

“We must try to ensure practical peace on a prioritised basis. Secondly, we will work to achieve pragmatic results during the one-year state of emergency,” Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun, the Information Committee chair and military spokesman, told a news conference in Naypyidaw on February 16. 

Three committees — the Central Committee for National Unity and Peacemaking, the National Unity and Peacemaking Working Committee and the National Unity and Peacemaking Coordination Committee — will be formed to implement the aforesaid tasks, the Tatmadaw spokesperson added. 

The Central Committee for National Unity and Peacemaking will be headed by the chairman of the State Administration Council, Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing, and will reportedly be composed of members of that governing body, which was set up in the aftermath of the military’s February 1 coup. 

The National Unity and Peacemaking Working Committee will be chaired by the vice chairman of the State Administration Council and the deputy commander-in-chief of the Defence Services, and will consist of Union ministers, regional and state Administration Council chairpeople, as well as commanders from the respective military commands. 

The National Unity and Peace Coordination Committee will be chaired by the Tatmadaw Peacemaking Coordination Committee headed by Lieutenant-General Yar Pyae, Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun said. 

“Three practical committees will be formed. … All I can say is that in this time of a state of emergency, we will make real progress, have real discussions, and expect pragmatic results,” he added. 

“We heard about the same topic yesterday. It is said that the Tatmadaw’s peace process talks will be led by Lt-Gen Yar Pyae. I don’t know the rest, so I don’t have any comment at the moment,” said U Hla Maung Shwe, a peace process adviser for the previous two governments, including the recently deposed National League for Democracy (NLD) administration. 

The former NLD government had been planning to hold peace talks with ethnic armed groups, including meetings with the Northern Alliance, this month. But the military takeover has considerably scrambled the considerations and calendars of many peace process stakeholders.