The statement released by the OMCC on Sunday said, “We urge UNFC members to abide by its policy of standing firmly together and helping each other when any member of the alliance is under attack.
“Unity among members of the alliance is the only weapon that can deter aggressive acts of the Burmese Army,” the statement continued.
The OMCC condemned government troops for launching military offensives in Kachin and Shan states and related human rights abuses. The group is an umbrella organization which has been formed by Mon people who live outside Burma.
The organization provides funds for the New Mon State Party (NMSP) to spark a revolution in its ethnic areas. The NMSP became a member of the UNFC after its ceasefire agreement with the former Burmese junta broke down last year.
However, on Monday the OMCC questioned how the NMSP was using donated money towards political change. The NMSP leadership responded that they wanted government troops to attack them first.
The OMCC also criticized the NMSP for not abiding by the UNFC policy of helping fellow members under attack from government forces, with ethnic groups within Kachin and Shan states currently engaged in large-scale conflicts with Burmese government troops.
“It is meaningless to create this organization when no one helps each other even though they have already formed an alliance,” said Nai Sunthorn, chairman of the Thailand-based Mon Unity League.
“They [the NMSP] do not hesitate when they are hunting animals or killing each other, but they are very hesitant when they have to fight government troops,” he added.
While some OMCC members acknowledge that no one wants civil war in Mon areas, many believe that fighting is necessary in order to pressurize the regime into engaging in political dialogue.
OMCC member Siri Mon Chan, from Australia, said, “Now is the best time strategically, militarily and politically for the NMSP and other ethnic groups to launch well coordinated attacks from different fronts in different ethnic areas simultaneously instead of first waiting for attacks by Burmese troops and then to retaliate.
“In warfare, time, places and [strategic environments] are critical. It is very disadvantageous to wait and allow enemies to choose favorable situations for their attacks.”
Some members of the OMCC urged NMSP Secretary Nai Hang Thar to launch an offensive against government troops. But Nai Hang Thar responded that he did not have the necessary authority to order such an assault, and that the party leadership needs to be convinced that this is the right move.
Critics claim that if UNFC members do not come to the aid of Kachin and Shan ethnic groups who are currently under attack by the Burmese Army, then the organization's reputation will be severely damaged as a consequence.
And OMCC members say that the UNFC will be regarded merely as a “paper-tiger” propaganda machine by both the Burmese government and international community.
The UNFC was formed early this year from a dozen ethnic armed groups. Leaders of the 12 met European Union members on July 7 and asked for more pressure to be put on the new civilian administration to stop military offensives in ethnic areas.
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