The Myanmar Peace Monitor organized a roundtable in Myitkyina town to facilitate better cooperation among the many civil society organizations (CSOs) in Kachin State working on peace-related issues.

 

Kyaw Htet Aung, coordinator for Myanmar Peace Monitor, told NMG the roundtable was organized to bridge the "communication gap" that exists between CSOs, Kachin IDPs (internally displaced persons) and the community.

 

"We assumed that the exchange of information and communication is important between them," he said, explaining how the roundtable provided different CSOs an opportunity to share their opinions on peace and related issues

 

Myanmar Peace Monitor, which was started by Burma News International (BNI), which NMG is a member of, reports on the country's long and convoluted peace process. Research on peace talks and hostilities between armed combatants is compiled on its website for journalists, researchers and non-governmental organizations.

 

During the round table, in the capital of Kachin State, participants discussed the conflicts, peace negotiations and returning internally displaced persons (IDPs). Other topics included, extraction of natural resources, foreign investment, social issues, socioeconomics in Kachin State and the 2020 general election.

 

Kyaw Htet Aung told NMG "When we talk about the peace process, people think about NCA (nationwide ceasefire agreement). When there is a deadlock in the peace process, the community starts to question where is peace." The community must make its voice strong with matters of peace, he said. But not everyone is taking part during peace negotiations. Last week, part-III of the Union Accord was signed during the Union Peace Conference while several ethnic armed organizations weren’t present, he explained.

 

BNI was formed by Mizzima News, Narinjara News, Kaladan Press Network and Khonumthung News in Kolkata, India on February 11, 2003. Subsequently, many ethnic media outlets based on Thai-Burma border joined the ethnic media network.