• Burmese
Thursday, July 17, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
27 °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

Shan National Dialogue In Doubt After Public Consultation Cancelled

Nyein Nyein by Nyein Nyein
January 5, 2018
in Burma
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0 0
A A
Tatmadaw troops break up a public consultation organized in Panglong in December 2017. / Sai Kyaw / Facebook

Tatmadaw troops break up a public consultation organized in Panglong in December 2017. / Sai Kyaw / Facebook

6k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

YANGON – A Shan national-level dialogue (ND) convened for Langkho (Lin Khay) next week is now unlikely to go ahead after a Shan public consultation planned to be held in Taunggyi this weekend had to be cancelled.

“We are not sure yet whether it will be held in Langkho, as the pre-consultation for the ND in Taunggyi on Jan. 7-9 has been cancelled,” said Sai Kyaw Nyunt, secretary of both the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) and the Shan national-level dialogue convening committee. He also represents the SNLD at the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC).

If the Shan national-level political dialogue in Langkho is not held, the participation of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) in the upcoming session of the 21st Century Panglong Union Peace Conference (UPC) later this month will pose a dilemma for the organisers. Although the Shan ND was not able to be carried out before May last year, the RCSS still participated in the second session of the 21st Panglong UPC, in order to allow the process to continue.

RelatedPosts

How China Manipulates Myanmar’s Ethnic Resistance

How China Manipulates Myanmar’s Ethnic Resistance

May 8, 2025
4.5k
MNDAA to Surrender Lashio but Hold Surrounding Country

MNDAA to Surrender Lashio but Hold Surrounding Country

April 7, 2025
1.7k
Myanmar General Dismisses Any Retreat From Politics

Myanmar General Dismisses Any Retreat From Politics

March 27, 2025
2k

Tensions have been high since the last few weeks of 2017 when the pre-consultations being led by the Committee for Shan State Unity (CSSU) — which is chaired by the RCSS – were blocked by the Tatmadaw and later by the Shan State government.

Talks were held between the RCSS, a signatory to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), and the Tatmadaw, but they failed to find a way around the impasse.

The Tatmadaw has long insisted that only the RCSS, an NCA signatory, can lead the Shan ethnic based ND, and rejected the pre-consultations on the grounds that there is no provision for them in the agreement.

The Tatmadaw has said the RCSS can hold consultations or the ND in their territories but not in Taunggyi, the capital of Shan State, which is controlled by the government. Given this, the RCSS and the Tatmadaw have not been able to agree on a venue, as the RCSS had proposed Taunggyi as the site for the dialogue.

The military’s obstructionist moves were reportedly due to the consultations being held under the leadership of the CSSU. The CSSU – an alliance of Shan political parties, the Shan armed groups, the RCSS and the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), and civil society groups – includes the SSPP as a member. The SSPP is a non-signatory to the NCA and is a member of the northeast based Federal Political Negotiation and Consultation Committee.

Another possible concern of the Tatmadaw seemed to be centered on public gatherings held by the Shan, as the Shan were a politically strong group and a key player in the Federal movement in 1961, which preceded a military coup a year later.

“We Shans have put our efforts into building the federal union since new Union of Myanmar was created [70 years ago] and we have maintained those efforts. So the public gathering prior to the Shan national-level dialogue should be allowed. It is for good,” said Sai Aung Myint Oo, a prominent ethnic Shan youth.

According to the NCA text, only the signatories to the pact can hold national level political dialogues as laid down in the political roadmap (Section 20, Chapter 5), as agreed by both sides of NCA signatories.

Peace commission secretary U Khin Zaw Oo, a former lieutenant-general who is acting as the Tatmadaw’s intermediary, told The Irrawaddy last week that it was not a problem who led the ND, but the obstruction may be due to there being no stated provision for pre-consultations for the ND in the [framework] agreement.

Observers and some stakeholders have suggested that the Shan pre-consultations would not present a problem if they slightly amended the title to “public consultations” instead of “pre-discussion for the ND”.

The title has become a sticking point as the government, Tatmadaw and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) all have different understandings about the concept of a pre-consultation and the ND, said Khun Okkar, of the PaO Nationalities Liberation Organization. He said they hoped to find a solution to the matter during a UPDJC meeting next week, on Jan. 9.

“It won’t matter whether we change the title or not. They just don’t want us to convene. Prior to us, the Karens, Chins and PaOs also did the same and they were able to hold consultations [in 2017],” said Sai Kyaw Nyunt, adding that even the civil society groups, which held their final forum in Naypyidaw this week — were able to do pre-consultations in almost every state and region.

“If the rules are applied differently for different groups, it won’t be convenient,” he said.

Although the NCA guarantees participation to all ethnic nationalities at all levels of political dialogue, “the public collaborations are being reduced,” said Sai Kyaw Nyunt. “I also wonder why the civilian government doesn’t want to allow us to attend, and why the Tatmadaw keeps blocking us,” he said.

Sai Kyaw Nyunt asserted there had been a gentleman’s agreement on the pre-ND. “We were told it is not stipulated, and that we have to do it by the book,” he said, “I would argue there is no restriction either in the NCA, or in the political dialogue frameworks stating that non-signatories cannot hold such dialogues.”

According to the NCA roadmap, the political dialogues are a key foundation step to amending the Constitution, as an agreement from the political dialogues, including the discussion of security sector reform, would have to be presented at the Union Peace Conference (UPC) for the Union Accord to be signed.

However, the current peace-building process has become mired in uncertainty as the framework on the political dialogue has not yet become a common agreement and the UPC is being held without a complete convening of the political dialogues.

After the second 21st Panglong UPC, the first part of the Union Accord was signed with a lack of key federal principles. This was partly due to the Tatmadaw’s position of wanting a non-separation of the ethnic states from the Union of Myanmar and its demand for the EAOs to make such a pledge. The question remains whether the stakeholders will be able to include the key federal principles, such as the drafting of ethnic state constitutions and self-determination, in the new Constitution.

Without the key federal principles, any change to the Constitution, which is one of the main aims of the NLD government, will be unsuccessful. Sai Kyaw Nyunt said the UPC would not be needed if the government and the Tatmadaw did not want to change the Constitution.

For the federal principles to be included in the Union Accord, all nationalities of Myanmar must strive to achieve it, said Khun Okkar.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: Peace talks
Nyein Nyein

Nyein Nyein

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Seven Myanmar Ethnic Armed Groups Revamp Peace Process Team
Burma

Seven Myanmar Ethnic Armed Groups Revamp Peace Process Team

by The Irrawaddy
March 19, 2024
7k

Chiang Mai meeting aims to overcome strain between peace team members and refocus on ensuring inclusive dialogue after some members...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta Too Weak to Fight Back
Interview

Myanmar Junta Too Weak to Fight Back

by The Irrawaddy
January 17, 2025
5.6k

Karenni Nationalities Defence Force chairman Khun Bedu tells The Irrawaddy that victory feels within his grasp this year.

Read moreDetails
AA Says Halt to Rakhine Fighting Is Up to Myanmar Junta
Burma

AA Says Halt to Rakhine Fighting Is Up to Myanmar Junta

by The Irrawaddy
January 2, 2025
5.4k

After seizing control of Gwa Township just before the New Year, the ethnic rebel group said it is open to...

Read moreDetails
Junta Boss Trying to Sow Division in Myanmar’s Oldest Ethnic Armed Group 
Ethnic Issues

Junta Boss Trying to Sow Division in Myanmar’s Oldest Ethnic Armed Group 

by The Irrawaddy
October 18, 2023
5.2k

Meeting with former Karen National Union chairman on Monday draws sharp criticism in resistance stronghold.

Read moreDetails
Fighting Resumes in Myanmar’s Kokang Region Ending Brief Pause That Followed China Peace Talks
War Against the Junta

Fighting Resumes in Myanmar’s Kokang Region Ending Brief Pause That Followed China Peace Talks

by The Irrawaddy
December 20, 2023
4.5k

Ethnic Kokang army said the junta bombarded one of its bases near the border with China on Monday and that...

Read moreDetails
How China Manipulates Myanmar’s Ethnic Resistance
Analysis

How China Manipulates Myanmar’s Ethnic Resistance

by Wut Yee Khaing Mar
May 8, 2025
4.5k

China’s strategy in dealing with the ethnic armed organizations operating near its borders is based on the principle of divide...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi sits among members of her administration during the second anniversary of the signing of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in Naypyitaw in October 2017. / The Irrawaddy

The Govt’s New Year’s Resolution Should be a Cabinet Reshuffle

People displaced by clashes between the Myanmar Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army take shelter at Maha Myat Muni Pagoda in Mongngaw Sub-township. (Photo: U Tin Maung Thein/Facebook) / U Tin Maung Thein / Facebook

More Than 1,200 Villagers Flee as Tatmadaw Battles TNLA in Northern Shan State

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Behind the Scenes: China’s Hand in Myanmar’s Election

Behind the Scenes: China’s Hand in Myanmar’s Election

1 day ago
1.2k
‘Not a Witch Hunt’: Upholding Survivor-Centered Justice in Myanmar

‘Not a Witch Hunt’: Upholding Survivor-Centered Justice in Myanmar

6 days ago
785

Most Read

  • Indian Army Accused of Deadly Strike on Separatists in Myanmar

    Indian Army Accused of Deadly Strike on Separatists in Myanmar

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Rakhine Fighters Close In on Myanmar Junta’s Naval Base

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Behind the Scenes: China’s Hand in Myanmar’s Election

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Recaptures Nawnghkio After Months-Long Counteroffensive

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Rogue Sagaing Resistance Fighters Held Over Robbery Gone Wrong

    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.