“It is a very sad thing to learn that the peace building process, most critical for the country, is not included in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar’s draft 5 year national plan that began in the 2011-2012 fiscal year and will end in the 2015-2016 fiscal year,” Nang Wah Nu, MP, People’s Assembly, Kunhing township, was reported as saying on 12 January.

Sufficient time is needed to resolve 60 year old deadlock and rebuild trust among each other, according to her. “It must be set as a national level undertaking and carried out through both short term and long term plans,” she added.

At the time of this writing, it is not clear whether or not the parliament has adopted her proposal.

Sources say non-inclusion in the national plan means the Thein Sein government’s peace efforts are not entitled to budget allocations. “We have no idea where the government’s peace making team’s money come from,” an MP told SHAN.

U Aung Min, the government’s chief negotiator, asked by Karen Information Center (KIC) on 4 September, replied both he and his sidekick U Hla Maung Shwe were spending from their own pockets. “Until now, there has been no state budget headings (for the peace process),” he said. “Also the Parliament has yet to allocate us any cash.”

On 3 November, visiting European Council president Jose Manuel Barroso announced that it was providing 700,000 euros in set-up costs for the newly inaugurated Myanmar Peace Center (MPC). It would be followed by 30 million euros in 2013, he promised.

Nang Wah Nu reportedly proposed two other topics: restoration of rights for returning migrant workers and effective assistance for crop substitution programs, according to the sources.