Two young Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) leaders jointly donated 3.5 million Kyats (est. US $ 2,869) last week to the lecturers of Myitkyina University in Myitkyina Township, the capital of Kachin State in Northern Burma, said university sources.

 

Of the donation, 500,000 Kyat (est. US $ 410) was from the former Myitkyina University student, Col. Sumlut Gum Maw, deputy in-charge of KIO's Strategic Research Department and 3,000 000 Kyat (est. US $ 2,459) came from Col. R. Hkawng Lum of KIO's Military Headquarters Office, a former Rangoon University student, according to local university students.

 

The donation was made on March 3 by local former university students but it was not directly awarded by the two KIO officials themselves. This is the first time that such a large amount of money has been donated to lecturers by KIO leaders, said university sources.

 

The two KIO officials made the donation soon after they got the message from the university that a new university lecturer who just moved from Rangoon asked for donations, university sources added.

 

Six-days after the donation, teachers were honoured specially, in keeping with the annual tradition of honouring teachers by the students in Myitkyina University on March 9, 2008 (Sunday), local students said.

 

Simultaneously, at least six Kachin Christian churches in Myitkyina were visited by Brig-Gen Thein Zaw, Minister of Communication, Post and Telegraph of Burma's ruling junta on his referendum campaign trip in Kachin State on May 8, (Saturday), local church sources said.

 

During Brig-Gen Thein Zaw visit to the churches, he donated several sacks of rice, cooking oil and made promises of granting landlines and mobile phones to the churches as well as to local members of reserved firefighters and Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), local church leaders told KNG.

 

Meanwhile, the main Kachin ceasefire group, KIO has declared its stance on the referendum and elections in a statement on February 20 that the KIO would like to see a 'free and fair' referendum and general elections. The election should be monitored by a suitable independent team.

However, the junta rejected the offer of a watching for the general election by an outside independent team made by the UN's special envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Garmbari who visited the country last week.