NCA signatories urge boycott of 10th anniversary ceremony

Six signatories to Myanmar’s 2015 Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) have urged representatives of the international community not to take part in a 10th anniversary ceremony to be held in Naypyitaw on Wednesday. In a joint declaration issued on Monday, the six armed groups denounced the regime’s efforts to present the NCA as a step towards peace, noting that its seizure of power in February 2021 had rendered the agreement “null and void.” The statement was addressed to the foreign diplomatic community, United Nations agencies operating inside Myanmar, and representatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. “They all know the NCA is no longer valid. They also know how brutal the military has been, killing and torturing people, since the coup,” said Saw Taw Nee, spokesperson for the Karen National Union (KNU), one of the groups that signed the declaration. “Needless to say, it would be shameful and disgraceful to attend the ceremony,” he added. The other groups speaking out against the NCA ceremony were the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF), the New Mon State Party—Anti-Military Dictatorship (NMSP—AD), the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), the Chin National Front, and the Pa-O National Liberation Organisation. Of the six, only the LDU is not currently engaged in conflict with the regime. Nearly five years after ousting Myanmar’s democratically elected government, the regime of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is pushing hard to solidify its control, both through military means and by seeking international legitimacy. According to Kyaw Lin, joint secretary 1 of the ABSDF, the junta is attempting to “deceive” the international community into giving it recognition that it does not deserve. “They are constantly trying to gain legitimacy through various means. The election is another way they’re trying to gain recognition,” he said, referring to elections slated to be held at the end of this year. The NCA was originally signed by the quasi-civilian administration of President Thein Sein and eight ethnic armed groups on October 15, 2015. On February 13, 2018, two other groups—the NMSP and the LDU—also signed. Witnesses to the signing included representatives of the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, Japan, Thailand, China, and India. Since the 2021 coup, the regime has held annual commemoration ceremonies for the NCA signing in Naypyitaw, despite the resumption of hostilities with half of the agreement’s signatories. At least some of the signatories are expected to attend the ceremony on Wednesday, according to a political researcher who did not want to be identified by name. “I’ve heard that the Wa, the Mong La group, and the SSPP will attend the opening ceremony. But I understand that they won’t be taking part in discussions,” he said, referring to the United Wa State Army, the National Democratic Alliance Army, and the Shan State Progress Party. The three groups would likely be attending under pressure from China, which will also be represented at the ceremony, he added.

NCA signatories urge boycott of 10th anniversary ceremony

The groups said the junta’s insistence on commemorating the peace agreement is just part of its effort to win legitimacy

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