Yangon, hundreds of Burmese march for peace in Kachin State
Yangon (AsiaNews/agencies) - To coincide with the International Day of Peace, which is celebrated today throughout the world, in the streets of Yangon hundreds of citizens marched calling for the end of the conflict between the Burmese army and the Kachin rebel troops, in the homonymous state in the north of Myanmar. Meanwhile, the U.S. Government has removed "individual" economic and trade sanctions against Burmese President Thein Sein and the President of Parliament Thura Shwe Mann. A decision that brings Naypyidaw and Washington even closer, while Aung San Suu Kyi met with the head of State Barack Obama in a historic "face-to-face" between the two Nobel Peace Prize laureates.
In a colorful, cheerful and above all peaceful protest, at least 200 people - including Kachin artists and members of civil society - paraded through the streets of Yangon with slogans including "End the civil war" in the northern Kachin State. The reformist government of President Thein Sein last year signed at least a dozen cease-fires with other ethnic groups. However, the northern front remains open, in the Christian-majority region bordering China, where violence has continued for months between the military and the rebel militias.
The event in Yangon was attended also by activist groups who previously directed towards the capital; security forces blocked them and sent them back. Despite appeals by civil society and promises of the government, the Kachin issue remains an unresolved issue that threatens to mar the path of reformist President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. According to the spokesman of the head of state, moreover, the central government has little influence on the army engaged in the North. "The withdrawal of the troops", government sources say, "is something that the leaders of the two armies must achieve on their own".
Meanwhile, the leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD), engaged in a historic trip to the United States, met with U.S. President Barack Obama and received from Congress the highest civilian award for her fight for democracy. Surprisingly, the awards ceremony at the American Parliament was also attended by Aung Min and Than Swe, the new Burmese Ambassador to Washington. Particularly significant was the presence of Aung Min, a key Minister in Thein Sein's cabinet (expected in the coming days in New York for the U.N. General Assembly), who received -and showed his appreciation for - special praise from Hillary Clinton and from the "Lady" of Burma for his efforts towards reconciliation in Myanmar.
Meanwhile, Aung San Suu Kyi received the political support of the U.S. Government and of President Obama for her work for peace, reconciliation and social and economic reforms. Condemning the use of violence as an element of conflict resolution, the NLD leader labelled those who incite clashes as elements that "undermine the foundations of human rights". Towards the end of her speech, she appealed for the release of Pussy Riot, a Russian punk trio sentenced to two years in jail for "anti-religious hooliganism".
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