Mizzima News

New Delhi (Mizzima) – The Chin National Front (CNF), an ethnic rebel group, has said it is ready for another round of peace talks with Burma's military junta, but that the government has so far shown no signs of looking to resume talks.  

Dr. Suikhar, Joint General Secretary (1) of the CNF, on Thursday said the rebel group is willing to continue peace talks, which stalled in March 2007, with the State Peace and Development Council – Burma's military government.

“If the military regime will offer talks, we will accept them because we believe that political problems must be solved by political means,” Suikhar said.

“But so far there has been no offer from the junta,” he added.

Burma’s military government has in recent months stepped up efforts to talk with some ethnic armed rebels, including the Karen National Union. On the behest of Burma's junta, Thailand has recently summoned a meeting with KNU leaders.

“So far, they [the junta] only approach groups in eastern Burma, and there is no indication of the junta’s offering [talks] to us [CNF],” Suikhar continued.

The CNF was established in 1988 by a few university students with an aim to fight for self-determination and democracy. The CNF, in a statement dated March 20th, said it strongly opposes the upcoming 2010 election, which is the fifth step of the junta's seven-step roadmap to democracy.

In March 2007, the CNF and the Burmese junta held the first round of peace talks in the town of Rih in Chin state in western Burma. Though both sides agreed to follow-up on the talks, the CNF said the second meeting, scheduled to be held in August 2007, was subsequently postponed by the junta.

Talks have been stalled ever since that time.