Nay Pyi Taw, September (29)
According to junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, the military council is paving the way for multiparty democracy in the state by establishing the Union on the basis of democracy and federalism, and that deserved federal rights will be granted.
The coup leader remarked at the meeting of the military council in Nay Pyi Taw on September 27 that other countries also practice the same federal system, but he did not reveal the names of the countries he was referring to.
The Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) spokesperson Col. Saw Kyaw Nyunt told Than Lwin Times, “We understand that the union based on democracy and federalism that we want will not be like the system practiced in countries like Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Canada. It is necessary to proceed after consultation with the consent of all ethnic groups and democratic forces rather than a deserved federal union. “
In addition, the military leader said that the 2008 Constitution and the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) cannot be ignored, and that there are differences of opinion among ethnic armed organizations due to foreign interference.
Currently, the military council has been holding peace talks with representatives from the United Wa State Army (UWSA), the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA/Mong La) and the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP) since September 26.
Political analysts have criticized the junta’s agreement in principle to recognize the Wa State and Mong La autonomous region as driving a wedge among ethnic groups.
The military council has opened front lines almost all over the country, and the fighting continues with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), Karen National Union (KNU), Chin National Front (CNF), Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Arakan Army (AA), and People’s Defense Forces (PDFs).
News – Than Lwin Times
