The Karen Women's Empowerment Group (KWEG) held a ceremony to celebrate International Peace Day at Kan Thar Oo Hall in the Karen State capital Hpa-an on 21 September.
The ceremony’s slogan was; ‘Let Us All Start Individually for Sustainable Peace.’
Naw Cynthia Win from KWEG said to KIC News: “The main aim of holding [the ceremony] is to explain to residents from rural areas about peace, the nationwide ceasefire agreement [NCA], and the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee [JMC]. Another reason is to enable individuals to take part in the peace process.”
She said that KWEG also explained and talked about the Union Peace Conference (or 21st Century Panglong Conference) that was recently held in Naypyidaw.
Saw Pha Dar, who attended the ceremony, said to KIC News that while ceremonies celebrating International Peace Day were being held locals were facing hardship due to fighting in the Mae Tha Wor area of Hlaingbwe Township.
He said: “The best thing is not to have any wars. Everyone knows that only civilians suffer when there’s a war. Women and children suffer the most. There is only one thing I want to tell the leaders. I want to request them to stop the war.”
Around 300 people attended the ceremony. They included Burmese government officials, state-level JMC members, civil society organisations and women’s organisations from Hpa-an. Residents of Hpa-an, Hlaingbwe, Kawkareik, and Kyain Seikgyi townships also attended.
Reporting by Saw Nyunt Thaung for KIC News
Translated by Thida Linn
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
