In Laiza, Kachin State, home to the headquarters of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and its armed wing, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), a mass wedding ceremony for 60 couples of KIA fighters and KIO staff was held on April 10.

The KIO organized the weddings of the 60 couples, Colonel Naw Bu, spokesperson for the group, told MNJ.

“Mass weddings aren’t held every year, but the KIO organizes them from time to time. Similar events were held in the past. The KIO supports employees who, for various reasons, cannot afford to hold their own weddings,” he explained.

Of the 60 couples married in Laiza under KIO auspices, 10 exchanged vows at Jarhtukawng Village Catholic Church, 46 at Laiza High School, and 4 at the town’s government courthouse, according to a report by the KIO-established Education and Economic Development for Youth (EEDY).

The KIO organized the program to support couples struggling to hold weddings amid the hardships of the revolution, holding mass ceremonies for 46 couples in 2018, 77 in 2022, and 60 this year, bringing the total to 183.