• Burmese
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
32 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Ethnic Minorities Stress Trust-Building, Agree to 5-Point Peace Plan

Nyein Nyein by Nyein Nyein
September 24, 2013
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0 0
A A
Ethnic Minorities Stress Trust-Building

The chairman of the Arakan League for Democracy

3.7k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Ethnic leaders have concluded a conference on trust-building with a five-point agreement aimed at helping to end more than six decades of civil war and ethnic strife in Burma.

More than 300 participants took part in the three-day conference in Taunggyi, the capital of Shan State, which ended on Monday with an emphasis on the need to build mutual trust among the country’s ethnic groups, the military and Burma’s nominally civilian government.

The parties involved in the conference, including many ethnic minority groups, outlined five objectives that they said would further the peace process: to reach a nationwide ceasefire agreement; abolish undemocratic or otherwise problematic laws including the Unlawful Association Law; establish a federal union that guarantees equality and a measure of autonomy for the country’s ethnic groups; hold a Panglong-like conference; and amend or redraft the 2008 Constitution.

RelatedPosts

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

July 9, 2025
62
Myanmar’s regime has a malfunction

Myanmar’s regime has a malfunction

July 9, 2025
126
Myanmar Junta Trains Staff on Electronic Voting Machines Across the Country

Myanmar Junta Trains Staff on Electronic Voting Machines Across the Country

July 8, 2025
422

The Panglong Conference was convened in 1947 by Gen Aung San, and resulted in an agreement among some of Burma’s ethnic minority groups and the majority ethnic Burman interim government that would have granted significant autonomy to the country’s ethnic minorities. Aung San was assassinated shortly after the Panglong Agreement was signed, ethnic rebellion in Karen State and elsewhere erupted, and the accord’s provisions have not been honored to this day.

Sai Nyunt Lwin, the secretary of the Shan National League for Democracy (SNLD), told The Irrawaddy on Monday that the five-point accord reflected the collective views of conference participants. The SNLD initiated the Taunggyi meeting, working together with ethnic Mon and Karenni (Kayah) groups.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Monday, Aye Thar Aung, the chairman of the Arakan League for Democracy, said trust-building was key to a lasting peace and national reconciliation in the country.

“The cause of the [military] re-engagement in the ceasefire regions is due to the lack of trust between the government, its army and the ethnic armed groups,” he said, referring to sporadic fighting that has occurred between government troops and ethnic militias in several parts of Burma over the last few months.

“When we talk about peace, it comes together with ethnic equality and autonomy and the issue of federal union. The Panglong Agreement cannot be left out.”

Echoing a call made by many groups inside Burma and abroad, the ethnic leaders said the military-backed 2008 Constitution must be amended, as it leaves no possibility for a federal political system. Burma recently formed a parliamentary committee to review the Constitution and it will issue a report on its findings by the end of the year.

“It would be faster to redraft the Constitution than to amend the current one,” Aye Thar Aung said.

The ethnic conference in Shan State comes ahead of government plans to hold a ceremony next month at which a nationwide ceasefire agreement would be signed.

The opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party, and the smaller National Democratic Force, attended the conference along with 19 other ethnic political parties and three government ministers. In addition, 17 ethnic armed groups, leaders from the 88 Generation Students group, Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) representatives and other civil society representatives joined the discussion.

President’s Office Minister Aung Min, the head of the government-affiliated MPC, attended the first day of the conference and called for all parties to work together for ethnic equality under a federal system.

“Talking about federalism is no longer a dangerous thing, as it was in the past, but we will have to see the approach taken to a federal policy and the implementation,” said Sai Nyunt Lwin.

Burma’s ethnic groups have long raised the issue of creating a federal state with a devolved power structure, but only since the government of President Thein Sein took office in 2011 has the issue been openly discussed by senior cabinet officials, lawmakers and the president himself.

Aung Min said in Saturday’s opening address that a nationwide ceasefire, followed by the convening of a national dialogue, would take place soon. He said government negotiations with the Kachin Independent Army (KIA) and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) were proceeding, with the government having already signed ceasefire agreements with 14 of the nation’s armed rebel groups.

The minister’s optimistic timetable runs counter to an appraisal offered earlier this month by the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an alliance of 11 of Burma’s armed ethnic groups. Following a meeting with Aung Min and the government peace team in Thailand, a UNFC spokesman told The Irrawaddy that he doubted an October ceasefire signing would be possible, saying the ethnic alliance had remaining disagreements with some of the government’s conditions for a deal.

The KIA and its political wing, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), constitute the largest rebel group in the country’s north and were not invited to the Taunggyi conference. Ethnic Kachin peace brokers who claim to be independent of the KIO and the government were invited.

Sai Nyunt Lwin, the SNLD spokesperson, said conference organizers did not invite KIO/KIA representatives because the group has yet to sign a ceasefire agreement with the government. He cited the fact that the absence of a ceasefire allowed for the potential arrest of KIO/KIA members, who are deemed participants of an “unlawful group” under Article 17/1 of the Unlawful Association Law.

Aye Thar Aung, however, expressed concern over the exclusion.

“It is important to include all ethnicities of Burma, including the KIO/KIA, in the nationwide [reconciliation] process,” he said.

Your Thoughts …
Nyein Nyein

Nyein Nyein

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang
Burma

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang

by Hein Htoo Zan
November 28, 2023
98.5k

Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army troops are opening roads and pathways through forests for people to flee Kokang’s capital as...

Read moreDetails
Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public
Burma

Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public

by The Irrawaddy
February 7, 2024
89.8k

People’s Defense Force says junta troops told every household in the village to send one member to witness the double...

Read moreDetails
Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State
War Against the Junta

Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

by The Irrawaddy
November 29, 2023
87.1k

Brotherhood Alliance member says it now has complete control of Kokang’s northernmost section after the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 125...

Read moreDetails
Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks
Burma

Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks

by The Irrawaddy
December 4, 2023
59k

The junta said deserters would not be punished for minor crimes, highlighting the military’s shortage of troops as resistance offensives...

Read moreDetails
As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue
Burma

As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue

by The Irrawaddy
April 19, 2024
47k

The junta’s No. 2 has not been seen in public since April 3, sparking rumors that he was either gravely...

Read moreDetails
Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow
Burma

Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow

by The Irrawaddy
February 12, 2024
44.7k

Ethnic armed grouping says it will continue Operation 1027 offensive until goal of ousting the junta is achieved. 

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Burma’s Suu Kyi Looks to Singapore as Model – Minus the Materialism

Burma’s Suu Kyi Looks to Singapore as Model – Minus the Materialism

Rains to Hit Tenasserim; Ease Up in Rangoon

Rains to Hit Tenasserim; Ease Up in Rangoon, Mon State and Karen State

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

37 Years and Counting: Why Has Myanmar’s Democracy Struggle Taken So Long?

37 Years and Counting: Why Has Myanmar’s Democracy Struggle Taken So Long?

6 days ago
1.3k
Myanmar Junta Blacklists 200 Firms for Dodging Hard Currency Grab

Myanmar Junta Blacklists 200 Firms for Dodging Hard Currency Grab

7 days ago
1.3k

Most Read

  • Chin Resistance Tensions Boil Over as CNA Seizes Rival’s Myanmar HQ

    Chin Resistance Tensions Boil Over as CNA Seizes Rival’s Myanmar HQ

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Starves Last Rakhine Strongholds as AA Closes In

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Trains Staff on Electronic Voting Machines Across the Country

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Timor-Leste Hits Back at Myanmar Junta’s Objection to ASEAN Membership

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.