Thai Army Not Allow PPST Summit
The meeting of EAOs was called off, reportedly at the request of the Thai authorities.
By NETWORK MEDIA GROUP (NMG)
Monday, June 10, 2019
Burmese Embassy requests Thailand to disrupt and a planned summit of ethnic armed organization (EAO) leaders in Chiang Mai, Thailand, this weekend has been postponed.
Signatories to Burma’s Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) had planned to discuss whether to continue the existence of the Peace Process Steering Team (PPST), but the meeting was called off.
“The Thai authorities have not permitted us to hold the NCA-signatory EAO summit meeting,” one ethnic leader told NMG on the condition of anonymity.
NMG later got the leaked letter sent from Bangkok Burmese Embassy to Royal Thai Army Headquarters.
The letter signed by Burmese military attaché Brigadier Khin Zaw sent to Director of Foreign Liaison Division mentioned, “I would like to inform you that aforementioned prescheduled meeting would definitely disrupt the NCA peace process which Myanmar Government and Myanmar Armed Forces to be able to restore eternal peace across the country.”
And, it asked Thailand to obstruct from organizing such meeting.
The summit was planned for June 8-10. One topic of discussion was going to be the Karen National Union’s proposal to transform the PPST into the Peace Process Consultative Meeting, which would also include non-NCA signatory armed groups.
The NCA signatory ethnic armed organizations are the All Burma Students Democratic Front, Arakan Liberation Party, Chin National Front, Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, Karen National Union, Karen National Liberation Army/Peace Council, Lahu Democratic Union, New Mon State Party, Pa-O National Liberation Organization, and the Restoration Council of Shan State.
