Mai Rupa, Oct 20
Lieutenant-General Yar Pyae, Chairman of the junta’s National Solidarity and Peacemaking Coordination Committee (NSPNC), stated that if the United Wa State Army (UWSA) wants a Wa State under the 2008 Constitution, they must participate in the election and make their demand in Parliament.
Lieutenant General Yar Pyae made the statement on October 17, during the final day of the ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).
“If you want the Wa State, enter Parliament according to the Constitution and make your demand there,” he said, as reported by junta-aligned media.
The event was attended by seven ethnic armed organizations that have signed the NCA, including the UWSA, as well as several political parties expected to participate in the junta-organized elections.
Although the UWSA expressed support for the military council’s planned election, it did not permit the polls to be held in areas under its control.
At present, administrative, legislative, and judicial institutions in UWSA-controlled territories operate independently and remain outside the authority of the central government.
The UWSA entered a ceasefire with the military regime in 1989 and was subsequently designated a “Wa Self-Administered Division,” with its territory—the townships of Hopang, Mongmao, Pangwaun, Narphan, Matman and Panghsang—divided into two districts.
Furthermore, while the UWSA has signed a Union-level ceasefire agreement with the government, it did not participate in signing the NCA.
Translated by #KLT
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