The ethnic resistance movements’ Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) has chose 5 delegates to hold talks in Rangoon on Monday, 22 December, according to sources.

The delegation will include 5 out of 14 NCCT members and 4 technical assistance team (TAT).

The 5 delegates are:
Padoh Kwe Htoo Win       Deputy leader, Karen National Union (KNU)
Hkun Okker                        Membeer, Pao National Liberation Organization (PNLO)
Khu Taw Reh                      Member, Karenni National Progressive Party KNPP
U Twan Zaw                       Member, Araken National Council (ANC)
Dr Lian Hmung Sakhong, Member, Chin National Front (CNF)

The NCCT’s two other leaders Nai Hongsa (New Mon State Party) and Maj Gen Gun Maw (Kachin Independence Organization), though both of them had taken part in the 15-16 December preliminary meeting in Chiangmai with the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) officials, will not be part of the delegation.

The meeting, overshadowed by the incident in 19 November that had killed 23 resistance cadets and wounding 20 others near the Kachin stronghold of Laiza, will be focusing less on the ongoing Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) negotiations, according to sources on both sides.

“The government is obligated to do or say something constructive to make up for the Laiza incident,” said a source that had requested anonymity. “It is also obligated to take measures to see that such incidents are not repeated. And because of the incident, security for the NCCT delegation needs to be further ensured.”

As for the NCA drafting process, the NCCT desires to have additional international observers, preferably from the so-called Peace Donor Support Group (PDSG) countries, which included Norway, UK, EU, Japan, Switzerland, UK, US and Australia. Its current observers are the UN and China.

The NCCT is also anxious to find out the government’s response to its earlier suggestions to break the deadlock that had reached in September at the 6th formal meeting between it and the government’s Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC).