The Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee releases a statement reiterating the ethnic armed coalition’s intention to join the upcoming third iteration of the government-led 21st Century Panglong Conference, if the bloc is officially invited to do so.
Plans to hold the next iteration of the government’s self-styled “21st Century Panglong Conference” have been pushed back. Instead of convening late this month, the third round of the high-level summit will not take place until February.
Analysis Ethnic issues Lead Story Opinion Peace Process
The second session of the 21st Century Panglong Conference made substantial progress that offers a beacon of hope for sustainable peace in Burma, but key hurdles remain.
Women’s advocates said the second round of 21st Century Panglong Conference talks was much like the first – their voices were sidelined and undervalued.
Peace in Burma “is starting to take tangible form for the first time,” Aung San Suu Kyi said in upbeat closing remarks at the second iteration of the 21st Century Panglong Conference.
State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi opened a second round of peace talks under her government here in the capital on Wednesday, predicting that the coming days would bring “intense discussions, exchanges of views, debates and difficult decisions.”
State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi will open a new round of talks with some of Burma’s myriad ethnic groups on Wednesday, looking to revive a stuttering peace process.
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State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday and invited him to attend the 21st Century Panglong Conference next week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
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The Arakan National Party says its decision on whether or not to participate in the 21st Century Panglong Conference’s second round will be made after weighing the outcomes of a meeting of the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee this week.
The government on Monday set a 24 May date for the convening of the second iteration of the 21st Century Panglong Conference, the current administration’s signature peace dialogue.
Conflict Ethnic issues Lead Story News Peace Process
The second iteration of the 21st Century Panglong Conference is due to convene on 28 February, it was announced on Monday at a meeting of the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC).
Analysis Ethnic issues Lead Story News Opinion Peace Process
The Panglong Conference must be as inclusive as possible if it is to succeed in remaking Burma, says UN special rapporteur on human rights Yanghee Lee.
Ethnic issues Lead Story News Peace Process
“There will be 75 representatives from the government; 75 from parliament; 150 representatives each from the Tatmadaw [Burmese military], ethnic armed groups and political parties; 50 ethnic representatives; and 50 other invitees.”
Ta’ang community leaders argue that the Ta’ang need their own state if they are to enjoy equal status in a future federal Burma.
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Meanwhile, the chairman of the opposition USDP, former President Thein Sein, states that his party intends presenting its policies and stance to the Panglong summit.
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In his opening speech at today’s event, KNU Chairman Gen. Mutu Say Poe said that all the ethnic armed groups share one vision – building a federal union that can guarantee genuine peace.
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Burma’s ethnic minorities need to think carefully about how to get the most out of Aung San Suu Kyi’s plans to revive the “Panglong Spirit”.
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Suu Kyi also plans to meet members of other armed groups as she prepares to launch a comprehensive peace process building on last year’s Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement.
“The ethnic leaders delightfully accepted our invitation,” said Khin Zaw Oo, one of the government negotiators tasked with liaising with ethnic armed groups.
If Aung San Suu Kyi wants a “second Panglong conference” to succeed, her government will have to learn from the failures of the first.
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Some representatives of the Joint Monitoring Committee questioned Aung San Suu Kyi’s urgency and her determination to revive her father’s legacy.
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2015 Elections Ethnic issues Lead Story News Politics
NLD leader says her party, if elected, will prioritise establishing a ‘solid’ ceasefire agreement – not one that ‘breaks down a day after’ it is signed.
The Burmese government is aiming to hold the third round of the Union Peace Conference next month, according to the State Counsellor’s Office.
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The launch of a Karen rights organisation’s report has been blocked in Chiang Mai, Thailand, after authorities pressured a local university to cancel the event.
Joining a rising chorus of voices objecting to the encroachment of Burma Army troops into territory in Karen State, hundreds of villagers in the state’s Hpapun Township staged a protest on Monday, calling on the military to withdraw its forces.
The New Mon State Party and Lahu Democratic Union signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) on Tuesday, fulfilling a pledge that the two ethnic armed groups made last month to accede to an accord initially inked by eight non-state armies more than two years ago.
Ethnic issues Lead Story Photos Shan
During the 71st Shan State National Day commemoration at the headquarters of the Restoration Council of Shan State’s Loi Tai Leng headquarters, European ambassadors and UN representatives rubbed shoulders with ethnic armed group leaders.
Interview Kachin Lead Story News
DVB sat down with Khon Ja to reflect on the year gone by and what the outlook for 2018 looks like in Kachin State.
Ethnic issues Lead Story News Peace Process
The New Mon State Party and Lahu Democratic Union will sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement on 13 February, with their accession to the accord marking one of the most substantive breakthroughs in Burma’s peace process since the National League for Democracy took power nearly two years ago.
