Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s state counselor and de facto leader of the new National League for Democracy (NLD) government, met with the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee on Wednesday, calling for the convening of a “Panglong-style” peace conference within two months and encouraging all stakeholders to help make the suggestion a reality.
Of ethnic armed organizations that opted out of signing the so-called nationwide ceasefire [NCA] in 2015, Suu Kyi said that “even though they are not yet included, we will try to include them.”
“There is no reason that we can’t make it work if there is sincere empathy,” she added.
The Panglong Conference was convened in southern Shan State in 1947 by Suu Kyi’s father, Gen Aung San, and leaders from some of the country’s ethnic nationalities, in preparation for independence from Britain. It led to the signing of the famed agreement by the same name, which has been widely praised for the spirit of inclusiveness and cooperation that it fostered between the dominant Burman majority and ethnic minorities at the time.
The Irrawaddy’s Nang Seng Nom spoke to a diverse selection of leaders about Suu Kyi’s call for a second Panglong Conference, the likelihood of these talks occurring, and their expectations for them; their responses are below. (Courtesy of Irrawaddy)
