The Central Executive Committee meeting (extended) of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) was held from May 22 to 23. The meeting discussed the future work programs, including the current peace building and political process in Burma/Myanmar, and issued the position on the 21st Century Panglong Second Conference as follows.

1. As the civil war that has been going on for nearly 70 years in Burma is based on political problem, the UNFC has been striving to proceed to productive and meaningful political dialogue, standing firmly on the principle of resolving the problem through negotiation by the political means.

2. Though the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) and the Union Peace-Making Work Committee (UPWC) had jointly formulated the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) during U Thein Sein government, which came to power through the 2010 elections, as not all the stakeholders are allowed to participate, just as the nationwide ceasefire level cannot be attained, the equal level, dignified and meaningful political dialogues cannot still be realized, up to this day.

3. In the time of the National League for Democracy (NLD) government, which came to power through the November 2015 election, the Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) has negotiated formally, for more than a year, for the inclusion of the 9-point proposal to make the NCA more valid and for the realization of nationwide ceasefire in practice. In June – July 2016, the DPN negotiated formally 3 times with the NLD government’s 21st Century Panglong Conference Organizing Sub-committee-2, twice in the meeting reviewing the Framework of Political Dialogue and twice informally. From then on, in August and September 2016, UNFC attended the 21st Century Panglong First Conference as a participant on an equal status together with the others and submitted its proposal.

4. After the 21st Century Panglong First Conference, the DPN met formally, 5 times inside and outside the country, with the new body, the Peace Commission (PC), formed by the NLD government, and informally one time and had discussions frankly and cordially. At the meeting on March 1, 2017 between the State Counsellor and the DPN, agreement was reached to make a mutual pledge of signing the Deed of Commitment (DoC), before the signing of NCA if the DPN’s 9-Point Proposal was accepted. However, as the DPN’s 9-Point Proposal has not been agreed upon up to this day, the level of signing the DoC cannot be attained.

5. Under this circumstance, the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC), at its meeting held on May 12, 2017, decided that only those who had signed the DoC and NCA would have the permission to attend the 21st Century Panglong Second Conference and participate, discuss and decide on equal footing.  Then, on May 18, 2017 an invitation was sent through the DPN to the UNFC members to attend the Conference as “Specially Invited Persons”.

6. The UNFC on its part will not be able to attend and participate in the Conference as “Specially Invited Persons” with no equal status to partake, discuss and decide in the proceedings.

7. The UNFC issues this statement to express that it will welcome, support and back the political dialogues leading to the establishment of a genuine and Federal Democratic Union, in accordance with the Panglong principles, spirit and pledges, and based on national equality, self-determination and states of the nationalities.

Contacts:

Nai Han Tha – Vice Chairman Phone – +66(0)80-503-0849

Khu Oo Reh – General Secretary Phone – +66(0)84-805-1344

Download this statement in English HERE.