KNU to Hold Plenary Meeting on JMC Implementation

The Karen National Union (KNU) will hold a plenary meeting among Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) representatives from the KNU to discuss the implementation of the JMC.

The decision was made during the emergency meeting of the KNU’s Central Standing Committee held from January 23 to 26.

The KNU’s secretary general P’doh Saw Tar Doh told Karen News that the plenary meeting will be held in early February to clarify the work process of the JMC, which must be carried out according to the nationwide ceasefire agreement.

“The JMC has monitoring duty, but in practical implementation, there are some provisions clarified details in the ToR (Terms of Reference). The JMC has responsibilities to take some sectors and we plan to separate the parts that must be followed by respective armies and clarify it,” he said.

He continued that the basic requirement for making the ceasefire successful is for all signatory organizations to follow the ceasefire agreement.

Although the JMC has been established two years ago and it has held 14 regular meetings, critics pointed out that both sides are still weak in following the JMC’s work guidelines, which have been agreed by both sides.

In the statement, the KNU announced that it will continue its political, defense, administration, and organizing activities, and through negotiation, will implement the interim period of the NCA while conducting political dialogues in gaining the building of a future democratic federal union and prior to achieving fruitful political results.

A total of 48 of the 55 central standing committee leaders and three specially invited leaders attended the five-day emergency meeting. The participants discussed the methods for resolving the differences in opinions between the government and the KNU for the national-level political dialogue including the JMC issue, the Union Peace Conference – 21st Century Panglong, interim period related issues, and ongoing political situations in Myanmar.

The JMC was established on the union level, state and regional levels, and local levels on November 18, 2015 in accords with provisions from the NCA. Major General Saw Isaac Poe from the KNU serves as vice-chair in the Union-level JMC.