Three of Myanmar’s armed ethnic organisations have refused to agree to lay down their arms in order to participate in the government’s Panglong Peace Conference at the end of the month, according an RFA report quoting a leader from the TNLA.
Representatives from the Arakan Army (AA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Palaung State Liberation Front/Ta’ang National Liberation Army (PSLF/TNLA) met on Tuesday with Thein Zaw, vice chairman of the government’s Peace Commission, in the town of Mongla.
Government peace negotiators had told the three ethnic armies that they would be allowed to attend the Panglong Conference if they first released a statement saying they desired to lay down their arms.