Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) yesterday announced a statement saying that the accusation of Kayah State Government about the violation of ceasefire agreement was wrong.

The announcement also reported that No 428 LID based in Pharuso Township, Kayah State, left from Mawchi on October 17th and they arrested two villagers who were growing the sesame plants between Nankit and bahanlawt villages on October 18th. 

Moreover, they carried out the regional clearance operations by using the non-regular routes. So, battles between army and KNPP took place between Nankit and bahanlawt villages in the morning of October 20th.

Concerning the fighting between army and KNPP, the Kayah State government accused that the KNPP had violated the ceasefire agreement. But KNPP had rebutted that they never broke common agreements gained from the State level and Union level discussions and only started the fight when the army didn’t follow the bilateral agreements, according to the KNPP report.

In June of 2013, the Union Level Peacemaking Commission and KNPP held a closed door meeting concerning the military issues and agreed that both sides will have to inform the concerned body of their movements three days in advance and both sides must be used the fixed, regular routes while moving about. It was a sensitive issue for both sides, according to the KNPP’s report.

The KNPP officially met with the Government Peace Commission at the hall of Loikaw in Kayah State on April 27th.

The military didn’t follow the bilateral agreement and did not inform of anything that should be. The KNPP was worried of a repeat of the incident that the incident that occurred in December last year.

The KNPP is an ethnic armed organization and it ceased fire with the government at state and Union levels. Together with ethnic armed groups, members of UNFC, it discussed with the government for 17 months to be able to sign the NCA.