A new research center, named Pyidaungsu Institute (PI) for Peace and Dialogue, is to be opened officially in Chiangmai tomorrow, according to its managing director Khuensai Jaiyen.

“It is not going to be a rival to any other centers working for peace and dialogue,” he said. “Peace centers do not contend with each other. They only work together.”

He calls the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) set up by the government in 2012 as “a brother in arms”.

At the same time, the PI will focus on working for the armed resistance movements, political parties and civil society organizations (CSOs) as well as government and government-affiliated agencies and the international community to achieve lasting peace in Burma/Myanmar. Along the 3 stages of negotiations as agreed upon by both sides:

• Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement
• Framework for Political Dialogue
• Political Dialogue

It has stated its vision, mission and values as follows:

Vision:	A just, equitable, democratic and pluralistic Pyidaungsu
Mission:	To provide impartial and independent spaces, resources and assistance to communities in building the Pyidaungsu
Values:	i) Grounded in relevant and factual information; ii) Directed and managed by participants in building the Pyidaungsu; iii) Focused to support needs identified by the participants

Khuensai, who is also still editor of the Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN), founded in 1991, has maintained the Institute’s independence. “This is a center for all those who are working for peace and dialogue,” he said. “At present, we have dialogue but no peace. The government, at least on the surface, appears to be working for a peace without dialogue. All those who want a peace with dialogue must therefore work together.”

The Institute, when it was set up on 3 August with 4 people: Dr Lian Hmung Sakhong, Saw Htoo Htoo Lay, Khuensai Jaiyen, and Sai Latt (Ph.D candidate), has now grown to 17, with a branch office in Rangoon.

Its researchers include independents, and members of CSOs and armed organizations.
Originally started with the aim to do research on 19 dialogue topics that were incorporated in the ceasefire agreements signed between the armed resistance movements and Naypyitaw, it has also been rendering assistance to current negotiations between the two sides.
The official opening is 18:00-20:00 tomorrow.

For more details, please contact Khuensai Jaiyen: (66) 93 137 1495, (66) 81 531 2837. Email: info@pyidaungsuinstitute.org.