CNF concludes public consultations

08 November 2013: The Chin National Front (CNF) has wrapped up its public consultation programme held across Chin State and beyond since mid last year following the ceasefire agreement with the government of Burma.

With the last events organized among the Chin based in Rangoon, Mandalay and Sagaing Regions, the progamme came to a close ahead of the upcoming Chin National Conference scheduled to kick off next Tuesday.

Pa Bawi, Editor of the Chin Times, told Chinland Guardian that the events took place with over 3,000 people in Khampat, Tamu, Letpanchaung, Kyar-inn, Tanbu, Tahan and Taungphila of Sagaing Region in the first week of this month.

They were organized in collaboration with a committee comprising leaders and representatives of Chin community, civil society, political and religious organizations.

Pu Zing Cung, CNF Secretary General, said that the purpose was to allow the public to get involved in the reforms, to share with them the ongoing peace process, and to give them an opportunity to raise their concerns.

One of the provisions agreed in the peace deal with the government in January last year said that CNF would freely hold public consultations in order to bring forward the desire of the Chin people as a basis of their discussion at the Union-Level talks.

Meanwhile, members of the Supreme Council and Central Executive Committee of CNF are meeting in Thantlang in preparation for next week’s conference in Hakha.

Pu Ral Hnin, CNF Liaison Officer, told the Hakha Post that they discussed the issues to be presented at the conference as well as strategies pertaining to the ongoing ceasefire process with Burma’s ethnic armed groups.

The Chin National Front, an ethnic armed group formed in 1988 fighting against Burma’s successive military regimes, had signed ceasefire agreements with the government’s peace delegation in 2012.#