Position Statement on Cease-fire Talks

By Representatives of Karenni Community Based Organizations • March 6, 2012

Representatives of Karenni Community Based Organizations (CBOs) held a meeting on March 5, 2012, to exchange their opinions and views on the cease-fire talks between the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) and the Myanmar government.

During this meeting, representatives from 14 Karenni CBOs agreed on the following 13 common points:

We Karenni CBOs warmly welcome and support the offer of cease-fire talks by the current Myanmar government with ethnic armed groups to establish peace in the country, and the engagement in cease-fire talks by the Karenni National Progressive Party.

Permanent and sustainable peace for the whole country can result from cease-fire agreements with ethnic armed groups as long as the cease-fire talk processes on both sides are based on sincerity and a real commitment for change.

Meaningful peace can be obtained only when both sides have a real desire to establish genuine peace in the country.

The peace talks should not be aimed to only benefit a single group or class of people or a single party, but should be for the benefit and development of the entire people in the country. Engagement in the talks must be based on sincerity and a real commitment for change towards genuine peace in the country.

During the cease-fire talks both sides must include people’s representatives, members of civil organizations, religious leaders and media to observe and witness the talks.

Both sides must reveal their talking points to the people through the media to promote transparency as a move towards democracy.

As soon as the cease-fire talks reach an agreement, inclusive political dialogue with all ethnic groups at the same time at one place must be begun as a first priority.

All mega development projects must be reviewed and suspended and new economic and development projects must be considered only after political problems are solved through inclusive political dialogue with all ethnic and relevant stakeholders in the country.

For freedom of movement and freedom of livelihood for the people, both the government and KNPP have to remove all land mines including unregistered land mines.

As soon as a cease-fire agreement is signed, all human right abuses must cease and the security of all civilians, particularly women, must be guaranteed.

After a cease-fire agreement is signed, both sides must allow people to freely form community based organizations and operate freely in all areas.

International organizations and local community based organizations must be allowed to monitor the implementation of the signed agreement.

There must be rule of law, so that all people can have recourse to justice.

Representatives of Karenni Community Based Organizations
Karenni CBOs attending exchanging meeting;

Karenni Social Welfare and Development Centre (KSWDC)
Karenni National Women Organization (KNWO)
Karenni Refugees Committee (KnRC)
Karenni National Youth Organization (KNYO)
Karenni Students Union (KSU)
Karenni Teachers Union (KnTU)
Karenni Documentation Centre (KDC)
Karenni Civil Society Network (KCSN)
Karenni Mobile Health Committee (KnMHC)
Kantarrawaddy Times (KT)
Karenni Evergreen Group (KEG)
Karenni Development Research Group (KDRG)
Karenni Community College (KnCC)
Karenni Information Centre (KnIC)

For more information please contact;
Khu Thaw Reh for English             – Phone: 089 835 6128
Tha Leh Say for Burmese              – Phone: 080 673 8315
Khu Mi Reh for Burmese               – Phone: 081 029 9570

Download the statement in Burmese here.