While most of the differences that have emerged during the negotiations between the armed resistance movements’ Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) and the government’s Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC) are about the wordings, the concepts behind them are more important, according to Dr Lian Hmung Sakhong, key NCCT member, who was speaking at the forum held at the Chiangmai University on Friday, 30 May.

“Ideology is more important than terminology,” he said, pointing out that similar words used by each side do not convey same meanings in some cases. For example, “Pyidaungsu” may mean just “Union” to the government but the armed resistance movements hold to the original meaning “Union of sovereign states”, which suggests that all were initially independent from each other.

The military representatives of the UPWC continued to oppose the use of “Federal” in the draft Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), despite the fact that the word has been accepted and used by President Thein Sein and Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann in their speeches. “We finally agree to use ‘democracy that guarantees equal rights and (internal) self determination’ for the peoples of the Union,” he reported.

The two sides had also agreed that the country would be a secular state, which may help to dispel concerns that Naypyitaw would adopt a more rigid pro-Buddhist stance.
The military also agreed, as proposed by the NCCT, to place the Disarmament, Demobilization and Re-integration (DDR) of all armed movements after the political settlement instead of before it, as insisted by it earlier, according to Dr Lian. (The second combined draft that came out after the latest round of talks between the two sides, 21-23 May, however still contains the original proposition by the government, that is, DDR must come before political settlement.)

“Peace in Burma is important, not only for the people of Burma, but also for the region and the rest of the world,” concluded Lian, “because instability in our country has created a lot of problems for you. Peace in Burma is your concern as well. This is our best chance. Please support our efforts to make peace.”

Other speakers included Nyo Ohn Myint of Myanmar Peace Center (MPC), Harn Yawnghwe of Euro Burma Office (EBO) and Dr Hannes Siebert of Common Space Initiative (CSI). Some 60 participants attended the forum that was jointly organized by the Chiangmai University’s Regional Center for Sustainable Development (RCSD), Burma Studies Center (BSC), Pyidaungsu Institute for Peace and Dialogue (PI) and Thai PBS. They include those from diplomatic and academic circles, UNHCR, INGOs and civil society organizations.