MYANMAR: Only Four EAOs Arrive in Naypyitaw for Second Round of Peace Ealks

Posted by Asia Views | Aug 25, 2022 | 0 |

Mizzima.com-Aug 24

Four ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) will attend a second set of peace talks with the military in Naypyitaw, according to reports in the junta-aligned media published on 22 August. They said that the leaders of the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), Pa-o National Liberation League (PNLO), and Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) reportedly arrived in Naypyitaw on 21 August to resume peace talks with the military. In April 2022 10 EAOs attended peace talks after being invited by the military junta leader Min Aung Hlaing who met with them all individually. The seven who only attended the first round of peace talks in April and have not so far returned to resume talks are: the United Wa State Army (UWSA), the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA- Mongla), the New Mon State Party (NMSP), the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS/SSA), the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), the Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council (KNU/KNLA-PC) and the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP/SSA). While meeting with the UN Special envoy Noeleen Heyzer on 17 August Min Aung Hlaing said that he would meet with 10 EAOs in the following week. The Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), which participated in April’s round of peace talks claimed that they had not yet received an official invitation to the second round of peace talks. Read more at: https://www.mizzima.com/article/only-four-eaos-arrive-naypyitaw-second-round-peace-talks

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

MYANMAR: Only Four EAOs Arrive in Naypyitaw for Second Round of Peace Ealks

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