A planned peace rally organized by the wife of a senior member of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) was canceled following a public outcry. Ja Hkawn, wife of Hka Mai Tang, the senator for Sumprabum constituency in Kachin State, was quoted by the Kachin News Group (KNG) as saying that reports made the event sound like “we don’t like the Kachin people or that the USDP forced us to have the rally.” The KNG reported that the event intended to denounce the Kachin Independence Organization, which has been at war with Burma’s government army since last June.