Statement on Ceasefire and Perpetual Peace

1. The Panglong Agreement was signed on 12 February 1947 with the vow to regain independence with the concerted efforts of the people from hilly and plain regions as part of the unity based on the Union spirit. As a fruit of the Panglong Agreement, those from hilly and plain regions together with the Tatmadaw unitedly regained the independence of Myanmar on 4 January 1948.

2. The 12th February showing the Union Spirit of the ethnic nationals who initiated the regaining of independence through the unity of the people from the whole nation was honoured as the Union Day. On 12 February 2022, the anniversary of Union Day would fall on the 75th Diamond Jubilee.

3. As a gesture of hailing the Diamond Jubilee Union Day, the work process must be beefed up for strengthening the Union Spirit across the Union, ensuring the prosperity of the country and restoring the perpetual peace so as to further cement the national unity. Only when our country inhabited by many ethnic nationals forges the unity among them, will the Union not disintegrate and will the sovereignty strengthen. Hence, further efforts must be made for building the compact and united strength among national brethren in the future.

4. The Tatmadaw has been taking responsibility for safeguarding the sovereignty of the State and life and property of the people in successive eras. The armed insurgency against successive governments based on diversity in political, national race, ethnic affairs and dogmatism in the parliamentary democracy era from 1948 to 1958 triggered the current armed conflicts due to subsequences of the divide-and-rule policy of the colonialists.

5. Any ethnic groups do not isolate in any regions and states of the country. It is a Union inhabited by various ethnic nationals together. In arranging the negotiation to seek the best way of addressing the armed conflicts in successive eras, it is not necessary to prioritize own ethnic, state, region and organization. Only when the dialogues must be held with the unity as “We are Myanmar”, can the perpetual peace the entire ethnic national people aspire be restored.

6. The State Administration Council of the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar has been implementing the five-point road map and nine objectives since its assumption of the State responsibilities and implementing the point of road-map which clearly declared as “Emphasis will be placed on achieving enduring peace for the entire nation in line with the agreements set out in the Nation-wide Ceasefire Agreement.”

7. The Tatmadaw announced the statements on ceasefire and perpetual peace 20 times from 21 December 2018 to date. During the period of more than two years and nine months, the Tatmadaw built a ceasefire and perpetual peace.

8. In its statements, the Tatmadaw has clearly declared, “The Tatmadaw will suspend its military operations except the period of security for life and property of the people, secure and smooth transportation in addition to the State defence and administrative measures across Myanmar in addition to undermining the security and administrative machinery of the government.”

9. Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres on 23 March 2021 called for stopping the current armed conflicts as people from all parts of the world are suffering from impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and released an Appeal for Global Ceasefire of the UNSG. As part of supporting the Appeal for Global Ceasefire of the UNSG, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution on 1 July 2021 including the suspension of the 90-day ceasefire and assistance for response to the COVID-19. As Myanmar being a member State of the UN accepts the concept to abide by the resolution of the UN in line with the international ethics, the Myanmar Tatmadaw issued a statement on ceasefire and perpetual peace on 24 August 2020 to suspend the ceasefire from 1 to 30 September 2020.

10. At present, the globe has been suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic till today since early 2020. During the period, the State Administration Council holding a policy that “no one is important rather than the life of the people” is striving for carrying out prevention, control and treatment activities of COVID-19 for the whole nation and the entire people with might and main. In Myanmar, 41 percent of the people were found the virus in the diagnosis in the third wave of COVID-19 in the third week of July. As the government made utmost efforts for prevention, control and treatment activities of the pandemic, nine percent of the people were found virus at the end of September, reducing more than 30 percent of infection.

11. COVID-19 based on high changeable gene is a communicable disease and it was found that the pandemic cannot disappear at all. It is a disease to be prevented and controlled by the whole world including Myanmar to some degree.

12. Not only the meeting between the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the ASEAN Special Envoy on Myanmar affairs but also some EAOs welcomed the further urging of the ceasefire. The government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar has ceased the firing. Vaccination for prevention of COVID-19 is being undertaken for the people residing in the EAOs areas, people from internally displaced person camps and Bengali people in Rakhine State.

13. Meanwhile, it was regrettable that NLD extremist members and terrorist groups called NUG, CRPH and PDF committed bomb attacks on and firing at the prevention, control and treatment activities of COVID-19. Moreover, terrorist groups such as NUG and CRPH on 7 September 2021 issued an announcement inciting the terror acts to deteriorate the peace and stability of the State. They are boosting murdering innocent people, blowing up mines in public places and attacking the security forces on the ground. All the international organizations need to know about these murders and atrocities over innocent people by the terrorists.

14. As a gesture of hailing the Diamond Jubilee Union Day which will fall soon, the government issued a statement to further extend the five-month suspension of military operations of the Tatmadaw from 1 October 2021 to 28 February 2022 with the aim of effectively carrying out prevention, control and treatment activities of COVID-19 across Myanmar, restoring the perpetual peace in the entire nation and boosting the peace process, except for the period of security for life and property of the people, secure and smooth transportation in addition to the State defence and administrative measures across Myanmar in addition to undermining the security and administrative machinery of the government throughout the nation.

15. The entire people are hereby requested to participate in the work processes to practically implement this statement, beef up the peace process before the Diamond Jubilee Union Day and secure achievement for the prevention, control and treatment activities of COVID-19 as much as they can.

Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services

28-9-2021