Myanmar ‘peace’ delegation to Finland led by senior junta official

Lt-Gen Min Naing, the Myanmar regime’s top ceasefire negotiator, was the leader of a delegation that attended a controversial meeting held recently in Finland, according to sources. The meeting, organised by the Helsinki-based CMI-Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation, was the subject of an open letter by 661 civil society organisations accusing the Finnish and Swiss governments of legitimising the junta and its “sham peace efforts.” Min Naing is the secretary of the junta’s National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee. In May, he was also appointed to head the regime’s response to Cyclone Mocha in Chin State. A criminal complaint filed in the Philippines in October by Chin victims of junta war crimes also cited the regime’s deliberate obstruction of aid to victims of the storm, which killed hundreds and devastated a wide swathe of northwestern Myanmar. “Min Naing should be handed over to face justice, not wined and dined as a guest in Finland,” said Chris Gunness, the director of the Myanmar Accountability Project, which supported the case in the Philippines. “Far from promoting long-term peace, this ill-fated mediation attempt undermines peace, as well as accountability, which will be an integral part of lasting peace in Myanmar,” he added. In response to questions about Min Naing’s attendance at the meeting in Finland and criticism of CMI’s decision to invite him, a spokesperson for the organisation defended the move. “CMI is an independent and impartial conflict resolution organisation, which means that we act without a political agenda, for the benefit of peace, and without biases towards any party or interest,” the spokesperson said. A spokesperson for Finland’s foreign ministry told Myanmar Now that the ministry was not responsible for the invitation and referred questions to CMI, which is funded by the Finnish government. Switzerland has also come under fire from civil society groups for organising a workshop in Naypyitaw in October on the regime’s Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). The open letter released last month contends that “support for the NCA emboldens the junta and worsens the unfathomable devastation in Myanmar, as the military is the source of violence and the root cause of the crisis.” Responding to questions from Myanmar Now, Elisa Raggi, spokesperson for the Swiss foreign ministry, confirmed that the workshop was held at the request of the parties involved, with Switzerland providing “thematic expertise and technical support.” Citing her country’s “traditional position of maintaining contact with all parties to the conflict,” she added: “Switzerland believes that any future progress towards peace will demand an inclusive process.” Swisspeace, a Swiss organisation named in the open letter, confirmed its participation in the October workshop, noting that it provided thematic input at the invitation of the Swiss foreign ministry. The Swiss-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, also named in the civil society open letter, denied any involvement in the NCA workshop and did not respond to questions about its peace promotion activities in Myanmar. Switzerland was also criticised for delivering humanitarian aid through the Technical Secretariat Center, a working group of the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee (JMC), which critics say is junta controlled and does not serve the interests of civilians. The Swiss foreign ministry spokesperson rejected this claim, however. “The JMC initiative has shown its capacity as a mechanism that facilitates the delivery of principled humanitarian assistance to those in greatest need, including in territories that are not under the control of the military authorities,” she told Myanmar Now.

Myanmar ‘peace’ delegation to Finland led by senior junta official

The controversial visit was blasted last month by critics of the regime, who said it legitimised the junta’s “sham peace efforts”

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