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The Star
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
PEACE TALK 2025 concludes in Myanmar with 12 short-term recommendations and 10 long-term action plans
NAY PYI TAW: The Peace Dialogue (PEACE TALK 2025) concluded on March 26 after a three-day meeting at the International Convention Centre-2 in Nay Pyi Taw. Discussions focused on political and security matters, as well as economic and national development. The meeting resulted in 12 short-term recommendations and 10 long-term action points aimed at advancing the peace process. Secretary of the National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee (NSPNC) Lt-Gen Min Naing stated that the recommendations were carefully developed after extensive deliberations. He noted that additional points could be added after further review of the discussions. Among the key recommendations, the meeting emphasised the urgent need to implement a ceasefire, reactivate the Joint Monitoring Committee and the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committe under the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), and initiate a review and modification of the NCA. Local pilot projects were proposed to reduce conflict, with a focus on humanitarian aid, education and healthcare, involving local leaders and government officials. To build trust between the government and the public, the dialogue highlighted the importance of implementing public service reforms and swiftly carrying out agreements reached in past peace conferences. Preparations for the post-election peace process were also recommended, along with efforts to facilitate negotiations through third-party mediators and ensure inclusivity and transparency in political reforms. Election security emerged as a crucial issue, with calls for enacting an effective law to safeguard the electoral process. The discussions also stressed the importance of providing stakeholders with advance information on election-related issues, such as the electoral system, constituency designations and election laws. To foster political dialogue before the elections, the meeting suggested creating a dedicated forum for stakeholders to engage in discussions. Among the long-term proposals, the meeting called for initiating roundtable discussions on constitutional amendments before the formation of parliaments and continuing them post-election. Public awareness of the peace process was highlighted as a priority, with plans to collaborate with the media and civil society organisations through the NSPNC. Given that many conflict-affected areas are in border regions, participants recommended strengthening border development efforts to build trust between the government and local communities. The dialogue also stressed the need for a proactive foreign policy approach, improving relations with neighbouring and regional countries, as well as maintaining strong ties with major global powers such as the United States and Russia. Recognising the growing influence of political, economic, military and artificial intelligence (AI) power, the meeting suggested implementing measures to strengthen these sectors. As non-traditional security threats continue to emerge, including cyber-related risks, participants urged the development of long-term cybersecurity strategies. Resettlement, recovery, and redevelopment efforts for displaced populations were also prioritised, alongside ensuring greater inclusion of youth and women in the peace process. Additionally, physical and psychological reconstruction initiatives were recommended to support communities affected by conflict. Lt. Gen. Min Naing, Secretary of the NSPNC, emphasized that PEACE TALK 2025 was an ongoing process, stating that discussions would continue and the action plan would be actively pursued. He reiterated the commitment to ensuring all stakeholders remain engaged in future peace efforts. The closing ceremony, titled "From Dialogue to a New Peaceful Nation," included reviews of political, security, economic and national development discussions. The event featured presentations of discussion outcomes, votes of thanks from representatives of both discussion groups and a closing speech by the Chairman of the NSPNC. - Eleven Media/ANN
France 24
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
Ancient Myanmar ball game battles for survival in troubled nation
"Once you get into playing the game you forget everything," says 74-year-old Win Tint. "You concentrate only on your touch and you concentrate only on your style." Chinlone is Myanmar's national game and dates back centuries. Branded a blend of sport and art, it is often played to music and is typically practised differently by men and women. Male teams in skimpy shorts stand in a circle using stylised strokes of their feet, knees and heads to pass the ball in a game of "keepy-uppy", with a scoring system impenetrable to outsiders. Women play solo like circus performers -- kicking the ball tens of thousands of times per session while walking tightropes, twirling umbrellas and perching on chairs balanced atop beer bottles. Teen prodigy Phyu Sin Phyo hones her skills at the court in Yangon, toe-bouncing a burning ball while spinning a hula-hoop -- also on fire. "I play even when I am sick," says the 16-year-old. "It is important to be patient to become a good chinlone player." But play has plunged in recent years, with the Covid-19 pandemic followed by the 2021 military coup and subsequent civil war. Poverty rates are shooting up and craftsmen face increasing problems sourcing materials to make balls. But the rising and falling rhythm of the game offers its practitioners a respite. "When you hear the sound of kicking the ball it's like music," Win Tint, vice-chairman of the Myanmar Chinlone Federation, told AFP. "So when you play chinlone, you feel like dancing." 'Play day is happy' Different versions of the hands-free sport known as "caneball" are widely played across Southeast Asia. In Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia players kick and head the ball over a net in the volleyball-style "sepak takraw". In Laos it is known as "kataw" while Filipinos play "sipa" -- meaning kick. In China, people kicking around weighted shuttlecocks in parks is a common sight. Myanmar's iteration dates back 1,500 years, according to popular belief. Some cite a French archaeologist's discovery of a replica silver chinlone ball at a pagoda built in the Pyu era of 200 BC to 900 AD. It was initially practised as a casual pastime, a fitness activity and for royal entertainment. But in 1953 the game was given rules and a scoring system, as part of an effort to codify Myanmar's national culture after independence from Britain. "No one else will preserve Myanmar's traditional heritage unless the Myanmar people do it," said player Min Naing, 42. Despite the conflict, players still gather under motorway overpasses, around street lamps blighted with wartime blackouts and on dedicated chinlone courts -- often ramshackle open-sided metal sheds with concrete floors. "For a chinlone man, the day he plays is always a happy day. I am happy, and I sleep well at night," says Min Naing. "On the days I don't play it, I feel I am missing something." - 'Respect the chinlone' - But Win Tint is concerned that participation rates are falling. "I worry about this sport disappearing," says master chinlone ball maker Pe Thein, toiling in a sweltering workshop in Hinthada, 110 kilometres (70 miles) northwest of Yangon. "That's the reason we are passing it on through our handiwork." Cross-legged men shave cane into strips, curve them with a hand crank and deftly weave them into a melon-sized ball with pentagonal holes, boiled in a vat of water to seal its strength. "We check our chinlone's quality as if we're checking diamonds or gemstones," adds the 64-year-old Pe Thein. "As we respect the chinlone, it respects us back." Each ball takes around two hours to make and earns business-owner Maung Kaw $2.40 apiece. But supplies of the best-quality rattan he covets from nearby Rakhine are dwindling. There is fierce fighting in the state between the military and opposition groups that now control almost all of it. Farmers are too fearful to plunge into the jungle battleground to cut cane, says Maung Kaw, endangering his profession. "It should not be that we have players but no chinlone makers," says the 72-year-old.
The Star
03-06-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Ancient Myanmar ball game battles for survival in troubled nation
YANGON: Mastering control of the rising and falling rattan chinlone (sepak takraw) ball teaches patience, says a veteran of the traditional Myanmar sport - a quality dearly needed in the long-suffering nation. "Once you get into playing the game you forget everything," says 74-year-old Win Tint. "You concentrate only on your touch and you concentrate only on your style." Chinlone is Myanmar's national game and dates back centuries. Branded a blend of sport and art, it is often played to music, and is typically practised differently by men and women. Male teams in skimpy shorts stand in a circle using stylised strokes of their feet, knees and heads to pass the ball in a game of "keepy-uppy", with a scoring system impenetrable to outsiders. Women play solo like circus performers - kicking the ball tens of thousands of times per session while walking tightropes, twirling umbrellas and perching on chairs balanced atop beer bottles. Teen prodigy Phyu Sin Phyo hones her skills at the court in Yangon, toe-bouncing a burning ball while spinning a hula-hoop - also on fire. "I play even when I am sick," says the 16-year-old. "It is important to be patient to become a good chinlone player." But play has plunged in recent years, with the Covid-19 pandemic followed by the 2021 military coup and subsequent civil war. Poverty rates are shooting up and craftsmen face increasing problems sourcing materials to make balls. But the rising and falling rhythm of the game offers its practitioners a respite. "When you hear the sound of kicking the ball it's like music," Win Tint, vice-chairman of the Myanmar Chinlone Federation, told AFP. "So when you play chinlone, you feel like dancing." Different versions of the hands-free sport known as "caneball" are widely played across South-East Asia. In Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia players kick and head the ball over a net in the volleyball-style sepak takraw. In Laos it is known as "kataw" while Filipinos play "sipa" -- meaning kick. Myanmar's iteration dates back 1,500 years, according to popular belief. Some cite a French archaeologist's discovery of a replica silver chinlone ball at a pagoda built in the Pyu era of 200 BC to 900 AD. It was initially practised as a casual pastime, a fitness activity and for royal entertainment. But in 1953 the game was given rules and a scoring system, as part of an effort to codify Myanmar's national culture after independence from Britain. "No one else will preserve Myanmar's traditional heritage unless the Myanmar people do it," said player Min Naing, 42. Despite the conflict, players still gather under motorway overpasses, around street lamps blighted with wartime blackouts and on dedicated chinlone courts - often ramshackle open-sided metal sheds with concrete floors. "For a chinlone man, the day he plays is always a happy day. I am happy, and I sleep well at night," says Min Naing. "On the days I don't play it, I feel I am missing something." But Win Tint is concerned that participation rates are falling. "I worry about this sport disappearing," says master chinlone ball maker Pe Thein, toiling in a sweltering workshop in Hinthada, 110 kilometres north-west of Yangon. "That's the reason we are passing it on through our handiwork." Cross-legged men shave cane into strips, curve them with a hand crank and deftly weave them into a melon-sized ball with pentagonal holes, boiled in a vat of water to seal its strength. "We check our chinlone's quality as if we're checking diamonds or gemstones," adds the 64-year-old Pe Thein. "As we respect the chinlone, it respects us back." Each ball takes around two hours to make and earns business-owner Maung Kaw US$2.40 apiece. But supplies of the best-quality rattan he covets from nearby Rakhine are dwindling. There is fierce fighting in the state between the military and opposition groups that now control almost all of it. Farmers are too fearful to plunge into the jungle battleground to cut cane, says Maung Kaw, endangering his profession. "It should not be that we have players but no chinlone makers," says the 72-year-old. "I want to work as well as I can for as long as I can." - AFP
