Myanmar Parliament approves national ceasefire agreement

Myanmar Parliament approves national ceasefire agreement

NAYPYIDAW: -- The Parliament of Myanmar has given its unanimous seal of approval to the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) signed by the government and eight ethnic armed groups on Oct 15, The Myanmar Times reported.

Union minister and deputy chair of the government’s Union Peace-making Work Committee U Aung Min said on Dec 8 that the agreement, while still a work in progress, would function as a positive starting point for the new government as it enters into the political dialogue phase.

The NCA was put forward for consideration to the Union parliament on Nov 30, in accordance with terms laid out in the agreement. Two days of debate were held ahead of the December 8 vote.

U Aung Min said the government had initially sought to achieve three chief objectives: the signing of a ceasefire agreement; the launching of political dialogue; and the establishment of a foundation for the next government to take the peacemaking process further.

He added that the agreement was a step toward establishing dialogue with non-signatory organisations. He said the number of ethnic armed groups had increased since the government first embarked on the peace process, with some 21 groups now having entered the fray.

Concerns remain over non-signatory holdouts in the peace process, notably the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army and the Kachin Independence Army, both of which have been engaged in active conflict with the government troops in recent months.

The country’s largest and best-armed rebel group, the United Wa State Army (UWSA), has been absent from talks and played host to a summit of non-signatories in November.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/myanmar-parliament-approves-national-ceasefire-agreement


-- Thai PBS 2015-12-11