The first in-person meeting between armed separatist group Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) and a peace establishment committee was held on Sunday.
The meeting was held at 11 am at Munlaipara community center, 5 km away from Ruma upazila sadar.
Earlier, the KNF had held several video conferences with the peace establishment committee, but this was the first time that a direct meeting was held between the two sides.
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The meeting, led by the committee chairman and Zilla Parishad Chairman Kya Shew Hla, was attended by seven members of the committee and five members of KNF.
Besides, government officials, police, security forces, and senior officials of intelligence agencies were also present.
“The KNF’s six-point demand and the issue of bringing KNF members back to normal life were discussed in the meeting,” Kya Shew Hla told reporters after the meeting.
“Dialogue between both sides took place in a very peaceful environment. The demands of KNF were discussed. But no decision was made,” he added.
The next meeting will be held in December, he said.
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Additional members of law enforcement agencies including police and BGB were deployed in the area before the meeting.
The 18-member peace establishment committee was formed in June this year with the leaders of various communities under the leadership of Zilla Parishad Chairman Kya Shew Hla to help KNF members return to normal life.
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