03/14/2017, 18.47
MYANMAR
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Political, ethnic and religious leaders to meet in Mandalay for peace talks led by the NLD

by Yaung Ni Oo

The goal of next Saturday’s meeting is to ease sectarian tensions and foster dialogue among ethnic groups and religions. National political leaders are expected. The country’s federalisation will be on the agenda to protect minority groups. For NLD leader, problems can be dealt without violence.

Mandalay (AsiaNews) – Mandalay will host a national-level interfaith peace talks next Saturday attended by Union government authorities and organisations representing various ethnic groups and religions.

Titled “Meeting of Friendly Interfaith Brothers and Sisters who Coexist Forever in Myanmar”, the event will be held at Mandalay City Hall and focus on national peace talks in the presence of the country’s main religious leaders, and representatives of the central government.

The aim is to ease sectarian tensions and promote dialogue between the country’s various religions and ethnic groups.

Mandalay Region National League for Democracy (NLD) chairman U Tin Tun Oo said Union-level authorities would be invited to the meeting to discuss how to promote peaceful coexistence for all Myanmar citizens at a time of strong ethnic and religious tensions.

He said the meeting was important for Myanmar as it moves towards developed federal nation status to protect minorities and ensure greater participation by various ethnic groups (about 135) that are often at war with the central government.

“Mandalay has been the cultural capital for peoples of different religions,” U Tin Tun Oo said. “We have had a history of peaceful coexistence all this while, and this peace will continue in the future.”

“Problems and hardships can be faced and solved together by peaceful, not violent means. This had proven to be possible in the past,” he added.

For his part, Rev, U Saw Win Aung, a Protestant clergyman, said “We want to invite as many [groups] as possible. Every religion should have people at the meeting”.

Although Myanmar authorities want peace and co-existence and have recently pushed again for a ceasefire among all rebel groups, violence, confrontation, and bloodshed continue in the north with the Kachin, in the west with the Rohingya, and with nationalist monk U Wirathu at the cost of the country’s development.

The Catholic Church in Myanmar strongly backs the peace process and has called for a "pilgrimage of peace across Myanmar".

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