Following the holding of a fourth informal meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand on March 27, a group of ethnic armed groups from Burma have agreed to hold a summit in the near future.
During the recent meeting, U Khaing Soe Naing Aung of the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) and Pado Saw Kwe Htoo Win of the Karen National Union (KNU) led the grouping of armed groups that had signed the National Ceasefire agreement. Khoo Oo Reh of the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) led the non NCA signatory delegation.
An individual familiar with the talks who does not want to be named said both sides are planning to hold a summit in the near future.
“We didn’t discuss any specific topic so no decision has been made. We only exchanged our views. Both sides want to meet as soon as possible. We don’t know when” explained U Khoo Oo Reh, a key figure in the non-NCA signatory group.
The NCA signatory delegation leader, U Khaing Soe Naing Aung remained hopeful that other groups would sign the NCA. “They haven’t signed it yet. They intend to sign it during the administration of the new government. We only need the view of the NLD government,” he explained. He added that a meeting is expected to be held in April, likely after the Thingyan water festival, but the meeting could also happen before the holiday period.
Apart from the RCSS/SSA the rest of the ethnic armed groups that met in Chiang Mai on March 27 are members of the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), which was established at the Kachin Independence Origanization’s (KIO) Laiza headquarters in 2013. While this group was meeting in Chiang Mai last month, the United Wa State Army (UWSA), Burma’s largest armed group hosted a conference of ethnic armed groups who had not signed the NCA, in their capital Panghsang. These groups included the KIO, the Mong Las based Myanmar National Democratic Aliance Army (NDAA) as well as the Kokang group known as the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA).
