Church in Karen state hopes for peace in Myanmar

(January 17, 2012) Representatives of the Catholic Church in Myanmar’s Karen state say they remain hopeful for an end to the region’s decades-long civil war after the signing of a truce between the government and the rebel Karen National Union (KNU) last week. Bishop Raymond Po Ray of Mawlamyine diocese, chairman of the Peace and Justice Commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar, said there is room for optimism in the latest attempt to end the longest continuous civil conflict in history. The KNU and Myanmar's government agreed to a ceasefire at a meeting in the Karen State capital of Pa'an on January 12. While numerous previous ceasefires with insurgent groups have failed to accomplish lasting political solutions, hopes are high President Thein Sein's administration will take a more sincere approach towards solving the country's unresolved ethnic questions. Bishop Po Ray hopes peace talks this time will be successful, as both sides desire peace and seem to be more open and transparent with wider participation. Father Joseph Thein Khin, director of Karuna Mawlamyine Social Services who attended the meeting, said the KNU want the rights, benefits and development of all Karen people.