Leaders of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) met to discuss the upcoming Shan State Conference, which will adopt a constitution for Shan State and establish a policy for the formation of a federal council.

“We’re preparing the federal policy and there’s different stages for achieving this,” RCSS spokesperson Maj Kham San told SHAN. He explained that drafting the policy is the first stage while the second is for all representatives to reach consensus on common points to build a federal union. “We want to live together, that’s our position”.

The RCSS has been engaged a bitter war against the Northern Alliance members, the Shan State Progress Party and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, for years, which the Shan leaders haven’t been able to stop despite repeatedly calling on all sides to engage in dialogue.

Shan parties and organisations based in Burma didn’t attend the recent RCSS preparatory meeting held on the Thai border and via ZOOM from 3 to 7 February.

“We didn’t receive a invitation letter. We didn’t even know about it,” Sai Aik Pao, chair chairperson of the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party, told SHAN last week.

The RCSS confirmed to SHAN that Burma-based political parties weren’t invited, without explaining the reason.

Committee for Shan State Unity Committee (CSSU), of which the SSPP is a member, has already completed a draft of the Shan State Constitution, which aims to ensure equal rights for all ethnic peoples in Shan State. CSSU members have stated that it’s planned to discuss the draft with political parties, civil groups and the other ethnic armed groups in the state.