UNFC

The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) held its central executive committee meeting at the Thai-Burma border on Sunday (August 26) to discuss its continuous participation in the ongoing peace process. The Central Executive Committee member U Twan Zaw told Karen News that the UNFC reviewed the obstacles in the dialogue between the Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) and the Union…

In an exclusive interview with Karen News, Twan Zaw, the United Nationalities Federal Council’s Joint General Secretary (1) and general secretary of Arakan National Council, discusses the importance of ethnic unity as Burma Army offensives continue to batter villagers in the north of the country. We are totally concerned about the northern fighting, mainly with the members of the UNFC.…

The United Nationalities Federal Council are in discussion with the government in order to join the ongoing political dialogue, now widely known as “21st century Pinlon Conference” to be held in August, 2016. Ku Oo Reh, leader of the Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) said that UNFC needs to continue discussions with the government. The Delegation for Political Negotiation led…

The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) released a statement on 7 April, 2015, to make clear its position on the nationwide ceasefire agreement reached with the Burmese government on March 31. The UNFC statement pointed out that the document, its Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) signed on March 31, 2015, “was not the signing of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA),…

The United Nationalities Federal Council issued a statement on Saturday, March 28 stating that it was disappointed that once again political discussions with the Burma government have been sidetracked. The UNFC said that in all its negotiation processes with the government it witnesses over and over “the occurrence of some other unexpected problem to choke up dialogue or change the…

The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) wants the Karen National Union (KNU) to be part of its organization. In a speech delivered by Khu Oo Reh, General Secretary of the UNFC on 66th anniversary of Karen Revolution Day in Karen State he underlined the importance of the KNU role in the UNFC. “It is a time of reforming in Burma.…

The Karen Women’s Organisation has criticized the decision by the Karen National Union to suspend its membership from the United Nationalities Federal Council last month, claiming the decision was made without proper consultation with the Karen community. Speaking exclusively to Karen News, Naw K’nyaw Paw, Secretary of the KWO, said that the decision came as a surprise to many Karen…

Following suspension of its membership with the United Nationalities Federal Council, the ethnic alliance bloc, the Karen National Union have said that they will make a decision on whether to stop or continue their membership with the UNFC. Earlier reports from the KNU indicated that the issue would be discussed during its Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting scheduled in September,…

In the wake of the Karen National Union’s sudden walk out from the United Nationalities Federal Council’s conference and its subsequent temporary suspension of its membership in the ethnic alliance in late August, Karen communities and Karen civil society organizations were left baffled, confused, shocked, and enraged. They were left wondering what will be next in inter-ethnic relationship and cooperation…

The Karen Women’s Organization (KWO), a community-based organization that represents 49,000 Karen women across Burma, has criticized the decision by the Karen National Union to withdraw from the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) last month. Naw K’nyaw Paw, secretary of the KWO, said the KNU would do itself more harm politically if it decided to leave the UNFC completely. “It…