Myanmar delegation visits Nepal to learn about peace process

A delegation from Myanmar has visited Nepal to learn about the peace process in the Himalayan nation following the end of its decade-long armed conflict in 2006 which claimed over 16,000 lives.

Nepal had witnessed a decade-long armed conflict between Maoists and the security forces between 1996 and 2006.

Over 16,000 people, including security personnel, were killed and tens of thousands others displaced in the conflict that ended in November 2006 with the signing of Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

On November 7, the Seven Party Alliance and Maoists signed a peace deal to bring the Maoists into political mainstream and to hold constituent assembly elections.

The Myanmar delegation led by Lt General Yar Pyae - Chairperson, Head of the Myanmar Joint Monitoring Committee Union Level on Ceasefire (JMC-U)- interacted with Nepal's Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali in Kathmandu on Friday.

According to a statement issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Gyawali gave a brief background of the conflict and the steps that followed and resulted in the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

The Minister highlighted the lessons learned from the overall peace process and assured the delegation that Nepal was ready to provide any help to bring lasting peace in Myanmar, the statement said.

The delegation expressed its interest to emulate Nepal's example in the ongoing peace process in Myanmar, it said.

According to the UN estimates, nearly 700,000 minority Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh to escape violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State since August 25 last year when the army launched a military crackdown, triggering one of the world's worst refugee crises.

The UN in Myanmar recognises that supporting the evolving peace process in Myanmar is a delicate undertaking that requires flexibility, resourcefulness and dedication.

It described the atrocities by the Myanmar military on Rohingya refugees as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing while the rights groups called it a genocide.

Buddhist-majority Myanmar, however, rejects the charge, saying its security forces launched a counter-insurgency operation in August in response to Rohingya militant attacks.