Tuesday, December 31, 2013

MILF: Karen Ethnic Tribe delegates visit Maguindanao and North Cotabato

Posted to the MILF Website (Jan 1): Karen Ethnic Tribe delegates visit Maguindanao and North Cotabato



December 9, 2013, a delegation of Myanmar’s (formerly Burma) Karen Ethnic tribe comprising eleven (11) members came to Mindanao and visited Maguindanao and North Cotabato in order to be exposed to the situation in the region. The delegates belong to different civil society organization in Myanmar.
  
The immersion was facilitated by Sustainable Alternatives for the Advancement of Mindanao (SALAM Inc.) together with the GIA Sustainable Management Institute (GSMI) of Myanmar and members of the delegation.

The team was joined by the Bantay Ceasefire volunteers of Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC) mostly from Maguindanao. They visited one of the evacuation centres in Datu Piang and the 40th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army camp in Aleosan, North Coatbato.

Mahmod Tulino, Provincial Coordinator of Bantay Ceasefire in Maguindanao said that the exposure was a remarkable opportunity for the Bantay Ceasefire volunteers to be part of the activities engaged on by the delegates despite the existence of several civil society organizations (CSOs) in Central Mindanao.

“We are very lucky that the Myanmar delegates chose us to be part of their exposures so that we can share to them our experiences and knowledge in our ceasefire monitoring works.” he added.

The exposure seeks to visit the conflict-affected communities and interacts with the volunteers; learn the experiences, strategies and mechanisms that were employed or utilized by the Bantay Ceasefire volunteers in monitoring the ceasefire agreement between the Government of the Philippines and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (GPH-MILF).

Ner Tar Lynn, Coordinator of the GIA Sustainable Management Institute (GSMI) of Myanmar describes the exposure as very enlightening and productive. They (delegates) feel and see the commitment of the Bantay Ceasefire volunteers in their advocacies by letting the people know all about the GPH-MILF peace agreement.

 “This is a chance to learn about peace process, about human rights and about Indigenous Peoples (IPs) rights.” said Lynn

He further stressed that their brief but productive exposures with the Bantay Ceasefire volunteers taught them a lot particularly in responding to conflicts, humanitarian assistance, civilian protection, women empowerment and in ceasefire monitoring that they can make use of when they return to their country.

“We can empower our people to volunteer in peace talks like what the Bantay Ceasefire is doing.” he added.

Ohnmar Shwe, Program Director of the GIA Sustainable Management Institute (GSMI) of Myanmar sees the significant role of the people or the community in the conflict affected areas.

“Community volunteers (Bantay Ceasefire) in the peace process are really inspiring for me because the volunteers were themselves victims of the conflict.” she said.
“Their commitments are really impressive.” she added.

The exposure is one way of understanding the nature of the conflict in Mindanao and   soliciting ideas based on the real and factual experiences of Bantay Ceasefire volunteers in their ceasefire monitoring works and conflict interventions.
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/745-karen-ethnic-tribe-delegates-visit-maguindanao-and-north-cotabato

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