Let me express my point of view once again after I saw the lying faces of Ye Htut and Aung Min showing off at a meeting with international embassies based in Rangoon. Then with various political parties at the MPC office, another government mouthpiece on the 8th May 2015 at which they were using the same tactics of trying to win over both embassies and political parties' trust to gain recognition in their devious peace dealings.
I am sure both of them actually know very little about ethnic armed resistance organizations and it seems that they are still looking down on the EARO. Why do I talk like this? Firstly, because YH who was appointed as TS government's Information Minister was interviewed with some media and he said that Ta'ang PSLF/TNLA, Kokang MNDAA and Arakan Army AA are new ethnic armed organizations that were only formed in the last year. I want to correct him on his lack of knowledge about us. The PSLF/TNLA was formed in 1992, MNDAA was formed in 1989 and the AA was formed in 2009. This proves that he knows absolutely nothing about EARO. This gives little indication as to how he ever became information minister which I have spent many an hour wondering about, although this is a shame for me to waste my time in this capacity. However, we know well about their Burmanization plans and the military dictatorship role since 1962 until now.
Aung Min has often said in the past that the PSLF/TNLA is the last of the 16 armed groups that his government and UPCC recognize to be part of NCA signatories, but recently, he has changed his mind again and he now has said that the PSLF/TNLA will not be part of a NCA. He speaks like he is the boss and has complete ownership of a NCA. From YH’s and AM’s statements / comments, we can understand that both TS and MAL are playing a game to win NCA signatories from EARO as soon as possible. This is clearly more evidence that they are trying to take ownership of NCA and peace process, which should be an inclusive and participatory process.
Trust can build peace; peace can build trust. Without trusting each other, how can we achieve genuine peace in our country? This is why as long as they (the Burmese Army / government) persist in their attacks by sayingone thing and doing another, we will not trust them.
UPWC/UPCC, MPC please tell the truth. Please stop saying one thing and doing another. It doesn't to anything to help achieve lasting peace in the country.
As you all know, we and the ethnic armed groups have been trying our best to achieve lasting peace and genuine peace in the country via NCA. But the Government and its army are continually saying one thing and doinganother. On one hand, the govt is trying to negotiate with ethnic armed groups to get recognition from international communities, but on the other hand the military have reinforced their troops in ethnic areas and continue their attacks with air strikes and heavy artillery. Armed conflict is still taking place in Palaung, Kachin, and Kokang regions due to Myanmar army's consistent heavy attacks in order to assert their control in these areas.
At the same time, several people both foreigners and Burmese people have been asking me about why our three organizations have considered leaving the NCCT at EARO summit meeting in Pangsang held between the 1st -6th May, 2015. The reasons we proposed to leave from NCCT is that, we don't trust the NCA peace treaty to be implemented by UPWC/UPCC due to on going military offensives in our territories. In addition, after signing the NCA draft there were more military offensives launched by government troops. On the other hand, the Burmese government and UPWC do not recognize us. Therefore, we felt that since both the Burmese government and the UPWC didn't want to recognize us, then why do we need to be part of NCA negotiations? And perhaps it would be better for us to leave from the NCCT.
Moreover, we believe that both the government and military will continue to use their successful strategy of divide and rule among the ethnic armed resistance organizations by lulling / ‘charming’ one and attacking other. This is another reason why we want to remind the other ethnic armed organizations that we cannot accept the government tactics anymore. Therefore, the greatest challenge in reaching a nationwide cease fire agreement is over the question of the withdrawal of the govt troops from our ethnic territories and the Tatmadaw’s six peace policies under its 2008 constitution. This is not acceptable anymore.
peace dealings.
