The Karen National Union (KNU) has quitted the Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) formed with the top leaders of eight Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) which signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), according to a source.

The PPST has started its meeting in Chiang Mai of Thailand, on May 14.

Phado Saw Tar Do Hmu, General Secretary of the KNU submitted a resignation proposal at the fourth day meeting on May 17, Colonel Khun Okka, Patron of Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO) Colonel Khun Okka has confirmed.

“The KNU first submitted the letter after the central committee’s meeting. The KNU wants to transform the PPST into the Peace Process Coordination Meeting (PPCM). Some EAOs can join the PPCM while others can remain in the PPST,” he added.

Six or seven out of eight EAOs included in the PPST have desires to continue to remain in the PPST for one or one and a half years, until the election. They want to make some changes to the PPST. They hesitate to accept the new one. The resignation of KNU from the PPST will not hamper the peace making process. The KNU will do the bilateral cooperation with the government. The remaining EAOs will continue doing their works with own vision as the EAOs signed the NCA separately. The PPST has no plan to discuss and decide the KNU’s resignation letter. The PPST was formed with three aims—bilateral cooperation between eight EAOs, the inclusion of NCA-SEAO works jointly organized by the government and the Tatmadaw and the continued negotiation with non-NCA signatories. The KNU will continue doing it separately, he continued.

Since the end of 2018, the KNU has temporarily suspended its participation in the formal meetings with the government, citing that it will seek the solution to the stalled peace through informal meetings.

The eight PPST members are: the KNU, the RCSS, the PNLO, the CNF, the ABSDF, the DKBA, the KNU/KNLA-PC and the ALP.On February 13 in 2018, the NMSP and the LDU joined the PPST to be a part.