State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will attend the first multi-ethnic cultural festival in the Kayin (Karen) State, which will be held at Thiri Stadium in Hpa-an Capital, on February 9-12.
"Mother Suu will visit Hpa-an. We heard that she will arrive on February 9 or 10. So, we are assigning day and night duties to repair and clean up the [town], roads, and bridges and complete the tasks for city beautification,” said U Kyaw Oo from Hpa-an Township Municipal Department.
The state government is leading the festival to mark the 71st anniversary of the Union Day and Kayin, Bamar, Shan, Pa-O, and Mon nationals from respective areas under seven townships within the state are preparing to exhibit their traditions and customs, literature, music, and dance for four days in a row, according to the festival organizing committee members.
The festival will include traditional dance performances of ethnic people and modern music performance and a paper reading session. Traditional accessories and food, local handicraft exhibition, and shops will also be displayed during the festival.
“We heard via the civil servants that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will come to the Kayin State. I heard that preparations are underway to discuss peace issues with the leaders of Kayin ethnic armed groups, who have signed the ceasefire,” said U Swe, a local resident of Hpa-an.
The festival is the first festival held in the state under the National League for Democracy (NLD) administration and the state government has been preparing for it since early January.
