- News
Demand for independent Naga homeland bars NSCN-K from nationwide ceasefire
NAYPYIDAW — A faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) will not be allowed to sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) because of the ethnic Naga armed group’s core demand for an independent Naga homeland spanning either side of the Myanmar-India border, according to government spokesperson U Zaw Htay. Zaw Htay was speaking at the Union Peace Conference, taking place 11-16 July in the capital Naypyidaw. The conference, also known as “21st Century Panglong,” is one of a series convened by State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to build consensus towards a peace accord that would end decades of conflict with an array of ethnic armed groups. The NCA, conceived as a foundation stone for the peace process, was signed between the Myanmar government and eight ethnic armed groups in 2015. They have since been joined by two other groups, but most of the more powerful groups remain outside of the agreement. The NSCN-Khaplang, named after the factional leader S.S Khaplang, who broke ranks with other leaders in the Naga cross-border insurgency, signed a ceasefire with the Myanmar government in 2012 and was allowed to open a liaison office in the town of Hkamti. Khaplang died of…
- Politics
Conflicting accounts of China’s influence on northern armed groups in peace conference
Members of a bloc of ethnic armed groups based along Myanmar’s northern border with China have given conflicting accounts of whether China persuaded them to attend a peace conference in the capital Naypyidaw. Gen Sumlut Gun Maw of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), speaking to local media, denied any Chinese pressure in his decision to attend. He said his aim was to re-establish lines of communication with the Myanmar military and government after several months of intense fighting in Kachin State. However, U Kyi Myint, secretary of the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) based in Mongla in eastern Shan State, told Myanmar Now bloc members had been repeatedly urged to attend by Beijing as well as the provincial government in Yunnan, which borders Myanmar. He said senior Chinese officials persuaded them that, “We [the ethnic armed groups] need to discuss our aims at the conference so that everyone will know what our goals are. We will know what we can and cannot get only if we attend the conference. To not attend would be our loss.” The seven-member bloc that includes the KIA and the NDAA remains outside of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) signed between the military and 10…
- Politics
Lawyers barred from questioning man who shot Ko Ni
Lawyers will not be able to cross-examine U Kyin Lin, the man who gunned down National League for Democracy legal advisor U Ko Ni in January last year, because Kyi Lin claimed his right not to be “examined as a witness” under Myanmar’s Code of Criminal Procedure. He will instead face questions under an ad hoc tribunal of judges, from which lawyers will be barred. Lawyers on both sides of the case fear this will weaken the legal weight and the credibility of his responses. Unlike with witness testimony, the responses won’t be taken under oath. The case has dragged on for more than a year and involved close to 80 witnesses. The man accused of masterminding the assassination, retired Lt-Col Aung Win Khaing, remains at large. Yangon Northern District Court judge U Khin Maung Maung informed Kyi Lin of his right to choose whether to face questions, as “the accused” in the case, under sections 342 (a) and (b) in a hearing on 5 July. Kyi Lin chose to avoid cross-examination. The tribunal will be chaired by judge Khin Maung Maung and will also include Yangon Eastern District judge U Myint Hand and Northern District deputy judge U Ohn…
- Interview
Khun Myint Htun: ‘All Political Processes Need Sincerity’
Khun Myint Htun is the chairman of the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), which signed the recent ceasefire agreement with Burmese government and seven other non-state armed groups on Oct. 15. A former youth leader in the National League for Democracy (NLD), he was elected to parliament in the 1990 election, the results of which were ignored by the then ruling junta. He was held in prison for more than seven years, and on his release he joined the insurgent arm of the Pa-O people. Speaking to Myanmar Now this week, the 52-year-old discussed the reasons the PNLO joined the ceasefire accord, relations between the group and the military, and his views on the 2015 general election. Why did the PNLO decide to sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA)? Our unwavering ideology is to solve political problems through political means. In accordance with the NCA, prior discussion will be needed before making any decision. However, both sides are required to negotiate a political roadmap. Neither side should try to take advantage. So we decided to sign the NCA. What were the fundamental reasons for the PNLO to sign the deal? Our decision was a reflection of the existing political and military situation,…
- In-Depth
POETIC JUSTICE: MYANMAR WRITERS TO PEN NEW ERA AS LAWMAKERS
Since colonial days, Myanmar’s poets have put pen to paper to express the mood of the people, describing their trials and tribulations through verse as the country endured one political upheaval after another
