RANGOON — State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi will chair the government peace negotiation body, the National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC), as part of her stated prioritization of peace and national reconciliation.
The NRPC, formally known as the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) under the previous military-backed government, was reorganized by Suu Kyi in May when she replaced several key people who had ties to the Burma Army with civilians.
According to an announcement by the President Office’s on Monday, Suu Kyi was appointed chairperson of the NRPC while State Counselor’s Office Minister Kyaw Tint Swe and government peace negotiator Tin Myo Win were appointed deputy chairmen.
Burma Army representatives from the Ministry of Defense including Lt-Gen Yar Pyae, Lt-Gen Min Naung and minister of border affairs Lt-Gen Ye Aung also serve as members of the NRPC.
The announcement stated that the NRPC’s purpose was to set policies and guidelines for national reconciliation and the peace process.
The center also coordinates with donors and paves the way for participation and cooperation between government bodies, Parliament, the military, ethnic armed groups, civil society organizations, the international community, and local and foreign experts. The NRPC will form and appoint a technical board and support team to aid their work.
The 11-member NRPC also includes the ethnic affairs minister, Union Attorney General Tun Tun Oo, commanders from the Ministry of Defense’s Bureau of Special Operations 2 and 4, and the chairpersons of the Upper and Lower Houses’ ethnic affairs committees.
