Karen National Union (KNU) delegates led by Vice-Chairperson Padoh Naw Zipporah Sein met with Aung San Suu Kyi (Daw Suu) to discuss the peace process at Daw Suu’s house in Rangoon on May 9th. During the meeting, Padoh Naw Zipporah Sein and other KNU officials exchanged their views on the peace process with Daw Suu, the leader of Burma’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party.
Zipporah Sein spoke to Karen News about the meeting, saying that “Our meeting with Daw Suu was informal, but it is important [that] everyone taking part in different aspects of the ongoing peace process [are involved] so we can achieve a genuine peace and equal rights. We shared our opinions with Daw Suu regarding the challenges we have in the peace process.”
Zipporah Sein also said that Daw Suu expressed her concerns, offered advice, and discussed how to strengthen cooperation with regard to the peace process.
Other KNU leaders attending the meeting included Padoh Saw Thamein Tun, Padoh Saw Mya Maung, Padoh Saw Hla Tun, Padoh Saw Liston, and Naw Blooming Night Zan, a member of the Karen Women’s Organization.
A Rangoon resident named Saw Htoo K’Paw told Karen News that the meeting between the NLD leader and KNU leaders would create greater understanding between the two political organizations.
“Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would have learned the positions of her fellow [NLD] members of parliament and the ruling government on the peace process. We hope that this exchange of opinions [between Daw Suu and KNU leaders] will bring the good vision for the internal peace process.”
The meeting between Zipporah Sein and Daw Suu on May 9th marked the second time these two female leaders have met to discuss ideas and share opinions, their first meeting being held in April 2012. During her visit to Rangoon, Zipporah Sein also met with Hope International Development Agency, the Christian Council of Myanmar, and ethnic women’s groups.