Call it whatever you like, “a big bait” or “a real change of heart”, but the government’s latest Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) draft, reportedly drawn up by the military is a long way off from its hang-tough original that was dished out to the armed resistance movements (ARMs) last November, according to some of its excerpts that recently came to SHAN.
No longer in it are:

• Previous agreements (made between the government’s Union Peacemaking Work Committee and the 14 ARMs) that are in line with existing laws will be approved
• The ARMs must abandon their armed struggles

Instead, one reads the following surprising set of propositions:

• To enact a military Code of Conduct (COC) within 30 days after the NCA signing
• To agree and implement on the Framework for political dialogue within 60 days
• To set up a mechanism for lodging complaints on human rights violations
• Political dialogue should be aimed at establishing a Pyidaungsu (Union of states) system acceptable to all national races
• Apart from The Three Causes (ie. Non-disintegration of the Union, Non-disintegration of National Unity and Perpetuation of National Sovereignty), every issue is negotiable
• Participation by women representatives at “appropriate proportion”

A seven-point roadmap has also been proposed:

• Nationwide ceasefire
• Drafting framework for political dialogue
• Implementation of ‘security-related reintegration’
• Holding of Political Dialogue
• Convening of National Peace Conference
• Signing of National Peace Accord
• Ratification by Union Parliament

No doubt, many will welcome the latest draft as a sign of the military coming around to “our way of thinking”. Meanwhile, many others, “once too many bitten, twice too many shy”, will be doubly careful about it and start looking in it for a catch.
At this point, the words of Chinese sage (Shan, according to some researchers) Lao Zi will be worthy of consideration:
Note    At the 9-10 March meeting, the NCCT was presented with 3 drafts: from 1. Myitkyina, 2. post-Myitkyina and 3. Defense Services (Army). The one discussed here is the third draft i.e. from the Army.