NMSP prepares to talk politics

Monday, 23 January 2012 21:10 Kun Chan

(Mizzima) – It isn’t difficult to agree to a cease-fire with the Burmese government, but it is difficult to achieve a long-term peace with the Burmese government, says the New Mon State Party [NMSP].

That’s the opinion of NMSP chairman Nai Htaw Mon who will meet with the government at Mawlamyaing in a few days.

“To agree to a cease-fire is easy,” he told delegates in his closing speech at the 6th Mon National Conference on Friday. “Our party also wants to achieve a cease-fire. But the current government that came from a military background is chauvinistic, and it is difficult to hold a political dialogue.”
 
He told delegates to learn from their experiences of the previous 15-year cease-fire period and not to be content with only a cease-fire.

During the previous cease-fire period, he said some NMSP members conducted businesses and they were content with conditions and some retired from the party. But Nai Htaw Mon pointed out that a political dialogue was not conducted and the government deployed more troops near the party’s control area and confiscated land from Mon people.

In 1995 when the NMSP signed a cease-fire with the former junta, it had about 7,000 soldiers; in 2010 when the cease-fire agreement was broken, it had about 2,000 soldiers.

At the first preliminary meeting with the government’s union level-peace delegation on December 22, 2011, NMSP General-Secretary Nai Hong Sar told the government delegation that after a cease-fire has been signed, a political dialogue needs to be conducted as soon as possible.

On Monday, NMSP central executive committee prepared for a peace negotiation meeting this week, according to NMSP foreign affairs official Nai Hong Sar Pon Khaing.

“The discussion started today,” he said. “But I’m not sure exactly when our party will talk with the government. I think it’ll be this week.”

The 6th Mon National Conference was held in the Three Pagoda Pass area from January 18 to January 20. Seventy-seven Mon representatives (including NMSP representatives and Mon representatives from Burma, Thailand and foreign countries) and 15 observers attended the conference.

The conference, organized by the Mon National Federation, discussed political affairs, military affairs, education and leadership issues. Representatives agreed to urge Mon political parties in Burma to combine as one and to make the Mon National Federation function in a way similar to the Burmese Lower House of Parliament.