KIA THREATENS TO KILL LOCAL PEOPLE IF THEY ATTEND MANAW CEREMONY KBC

 KIA THREATENS TO KILL LOCAL PEOPLE IF THEY ATTEND MANAW CEREMONY KBC

religious leaders under the supervision of KIA warned local residents from Weimaw, Shwe Nyaungbin and Namti, townships around Myitkyina of Kachin State that KIA would kill anyone who had attended Manaw Ceremony because they [KIA] regarded all ethnic people attending it as traitors to KIA, according to local residents. “KIA’s religious leaders have made the children attend the special religious course on the pretext of religion affairs from 7 am to 9 pm so that they [KIA] can halt refugees from each of IDP camps attending Manaw Ceremony,” said a local resident of Madaung village in Weimaw Township. Kachin State’s government arranged vehicles with security forces to carry national ethnic people for Manaw Ceremony because of that news. “It’s not fair that they [KIA] have gone to Thailand to hold Manaw Ceremony, but we have been prohibited from going to Manaw Ceremony held in our country. Five people per house were forced to attend Manaw Ceremony held at Laizar arranged by KIA to show their strength. We had to spend our own expenditure leaving for Laizar at that time. Now Kachin State’s minister arranged cars to carry us for Manaw Ceremony. They [KIA] take advantage of our religious leaders,” said another local woman in Weimaw Township. Many children have gone to Manaw Ceremony by motorbikes without letting their religious leaders know about their departure. “We know they [KIA] stopped us going to Manaw Ceremony as fighting broke out almost everywhere in Kachin State. But now we can’t understand why they halt us attending Manaw Ceremony. I think we will miss Manaw Ceremony due to disrupting of KIA this year too,” said the local woman there. Sai Khay (Hoe Pin) Translated and Edited by Ye Kyaw Thura