Roundup: Myanmar set to head for Panglong ethnic conference

The Myanmar government and eight signatory armed groups to the Nationwide Ceasefire Accord (NCA) have agreed to hold the 21st Century Panglong Ethnic Conference by the last week of August under equality and non-secession basis.

The agreement was reached between State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and the eight groups following a coordination meeting between the two sides on Tuesday.

The armed groups voiced support for Suu Kyi's policy of holding the conference which aims at achieving peace and national reconciliation.

The Panglong conference calls for building a federal union with unity and non-secession spirit, Suu Kyi stressed.

Meanwhile, the Panglong Conference Preparatory Committee is working hard to ensure that those non-ceasefire signatory armed groups can take part in the gathering.

Some of the non-ceasefire signatory armed groups will come in days for talks with the state counselor in Nay Pyi Taw and Yangon. They include the United Wa State Army (UWSA), the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), Arakan Army (AA) and Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).

The Naga Group is also being invited for talks in Yangon for the participation in the Panglong conference.

Suu Kyi has invited all nationalities residing in the country to establish a genuine federal democratic union, saying it is the sole aim of the new government.

Meeting with the Ethnic Armed Organization's Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) in Nay Pyi Taw, led by Saw Mutu Sae Poe of the Kayin National Union (KNU), Suu Kyi expressed her belief that if working for peace actively, it would undoubtedly overcome the armed groups' anxiety in face of changes, inviting all stake-holders to help establish the union with trust and respect.

"Myanmar can only develop when there is peace and it should explore a way of peace based on unity," she said, adding that "the country will be prosper only when peace is achieved."

In his meeting with the PPST on Wednesday, Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Services Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing assured that the armed forces would not deviate from the NCA and will cooperate for the success of the Panglong ethnic conference.

Two of the non-ceasefire signatory groups - the UWSA and the NDAA made a decision to attend the Panglong conference following a meeting in Mongla last week with the Panglong Conference Preparatory Sub-Committee-2, led by Dr. Tin Myo Win, who is the government's peace negotiator.

On June 3, the committee also met with the United Nationalities Federal Council's (UNFC) delegation for political negotiation in Chiangmai, Thailand.

The preparatory committee also plans to meet with other non-signatory armed groups such as Kokang's Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA).

The preparatory committee, in a four-day meeting in Yangon in June, claimed that it has won a breakthrough in revising the framework for political dialogue, inviting non-signatories to the NCA to participate in the Panglong conference.

Myanmar former government and eight ethnic armed groups out of 15 signed the NCA on Oct. 15, 2015. After that a union-level Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee was formed along with a tripartite Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee which was to draft a framework for holding political dialogue as part of the implementation of the NCA. Endit