Finland’s government has defended a project it funded in a conflict-affected part of eastern Burma as “successful” in assisting both villagers and government officials “to make positive changes.”
The project, which came under the umbrella of the Norway-backed Myanmar Peace Support Initiative (MPSI), was heavily criticized in a report released last month by the Karenni Civil Society Network (KCSN), an NGO based in Burma’s smallest state.
In the report titled “Where is Genuine Peace?” KCSN accused the Finnish-funded program of encouraging internally displaced people (IDP) to return to an area controlled by Burma’s army where “their safety cannot be guaranteed.” Karenni State was until very recently home to a long running insurgency waged by the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP).
Read more: Irrawaddee