Peace-related civil society organizations meet in Sittwe

Peace-related civil society organizations meet in Sittwe
by -
Narinjara

Peace-related civil society organisations (CSOs) held a meeting from morning to noon at Aung Myay Gone Monastery in the Arakan State’s capital Sittwe on 15 January.

Representatives from over 20 Sittwe-based CSOs have attended this meeting.

“There are three reasons for holding the meeting for peace-related civil society organizations. The first reason is the emergence of genuine peace in Burma’s peace process. Other reasons are to build a democratic federal union and raise the role of CSOs from Arakan State since CSOs are involved in the peace process in other states and regions,” Khaing Kaung San, coordinator of the Peace Working Committee, said to Narinjara News.

The attendees of the meeting will select nine township-representative committee members, five patrons, and five trainees who will attend the peace process training course and hold training courses for other trainees.

“I’m happy to see the CSOs who are working for the development of the Arakan society, which has been declining on all sides, in this time where we are marching on the path to democracy. The Arakan State will reach its golden era one day if they (the CSOs) carry out the truth with genuine good-will,” said Pachi Shin Hla, chairman of Artists Association.

The Arakan Women Network’s chairperson Daw Nyo Aye, who attended the meeting, also said the CSOs in the Arakan State do not receive much recognition due to lack of cooperation between each other and they will receive more recognition and have the same voice if they can do more cooperation.

“The meeting for peace-related CSOs is held today because there is no peace yet. Unity needs to be built in order to have peace. Each organization needs to respect each other in order to build unity,” said Khaing Sann Aung from the 88 Generation Arakan Social Development Group.

Representatives of ethnic Khami and Mro national organizations have also attended the meeting.

“We can’t accept people calling us, the Khami people, as ‘Khamwee’. We want them to only call us Khami. Since our people have been allowed to attend the meetings, people have started to know us as Khami. We are happy that the Arakan people have begun to greet us more warmly than before,” Khaing Kyi Hla, a Khami woman from Khami Forces Foundation, said to Narinjara News.

Township-representative committee members have been selected in 16 townships for the Peace Working Committee except in Sittwe Township. All Arakan Civil Society Organizations Forum will be held in Sittwe on 24 and 25 January and seven representatives from each township will be invited to the forum.

Translated by Thida Linn

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