Karenni Women at the Border Holds First Convention Back Home

By Karenni National Women's Organization • June 16, 2013

Karenni National Women’s Organization KNWO, the lead women’s organization along the border in Maehongson, Thailand announces the launch of its first Karenni All Women Convention- “Together as One” in Karenni State, Myanmar on June 19 – 21, 2013. ThoeMyar MiNyo, KNWO chairperson says that this first gathering would be a good sign that Karenni women along the border of Thailand and Burma see Burma government to seemingly open its door for the eventual return of Karenni people after over two decades of taking sanctuary along the border. ThoeMyar MiNyo elaborated that “Right now people in Burma are talking about peace and we are a bit adamant about it that is why KNWO organized this gathering in order for us to know and feel the situations inside Karenni state. It is also a forum for many Karenni women, youth and men to share the political and socio-cultural and women condition inside Karenni State and for the women along the border to share their living condition and women situation along the border.”

This convention aims at gathering people together as part of the peace building process. We will come up with recommendations that we intend to submit to the government and perhaps the international community to somehow put pressures for policy changes to protect women and the children in Karenni State, ThoeMyar MiNyo added.

We hope that our convention runs smoothly and that there will be no presence of any military in our convention, we will maintain friendly relation and negotiate with the government of Burma to allow us to have a peaceful gathering and talk of our future. In case that there will be military presence in the convention, we really just hope that we feel comfortable with the convention and no untoward incident will happen, we only want peace, no pressures nor any threats.

The Convention will come up with working mechanism and framework with women organizations and CBOs in Karenni State as a foundation when KNWO finally works inside Burma. The Karenni Women Convention will draw around 300 delegates from 4 townships, DeMawSaw, Pruso, Loikaw and SharDaw, the local government, representatives of international organizations and Karenni refugees from Maehongson.

KNWO will hold press conferences in MaeHongSon on June 16 and Dee Maw Sho on June 20.

For further information please contact:

ThoeMyar MiNyo: Chairperson KNWO.
Mie Mie: General Secretary KNWO
Tel.Number: 080-67838315 or 085-721-3860.

For Loi Kaw Contact 09421763242

Tags: Karenni, Karenni National Women's Organization, Peace, Women

This post is in: Press Release

Karenni Women at the Border Holds First Convention Back Home

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