October 1st, 2021
The military council’s plan to speed up peace processes is impractical. It is just a lip service, the Karen National Union (KNU) responded.
The military council held a press conference in Nay Pyi Taw on September 30th.
Secretary of Karen National Union (KNU) Padoh Saw Tardo Hmu told the KIC: “As the peace building is mainly based on trust, the military coup has caused the distrust between the military and our ethnics. The military council is just paying lip service. The military needs to reverse the coup.”
In practice, the military council needs to withdraw its troops deployed across the country and to stop violence and arsons in downtown areas and ethnic areas, he added.
At the press conference in Nay Pyi Taw, Spokesperson of the military council Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun said the military would continue to hold the talks with the Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) and speed up peace processes.
The military has adopted three phases to implement the peace process. The first is to ensure the involvement of relevant ethnics and all stakeholders in peace process and to speed up peace processes. The second is to hold direct talks with the Tatmadaw’s peace making committee and the EAOs and with the peace process-promoting teams. The third is to further strengthen the peace with the NCA (Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement) signatories, reduce encounters with non-NCA signatories and make efforts to reach agreements with non-NCA signatories with the aim of enabling them to sign the NCA.
Likewise, the military council declared the extension of unilateral ceasefire for an additional five months on September 27th.
“I have no trust in the military’s words and statements. The military did what it wanted even though the NCA was signed, he continued.
The NCA signatories suspended peace dialogues, showing opposition to the military coup. It is found that the northern alliance group which is holding the discussion to sign the bilateral ceasefire agreement is unable to continue the peace talks.
Sent by the KIC.
