Administrative Course Concluded in Laiza
March 18, 2005

The Kachin Post

The Kachin Independence Organization’s, KIO, concluded its first ever leadership training course concluded yesterday in Laiza, Kachin State. The KIO will select graduates from this course to serve as administrators in the organization.

Eighty one Kachin youth from across the Kachin state participated in the eleven month training course, which began on April 6th of last year. The KIO Civil Administration Department conducted the training, which focused on the development of administrative skills and preparation for potential administrative appointment in the KIO.

A graduation ceremony was held yesterday in Laiza, where students received certificates. However, a Laiza resident who attended the ceremony said that some of the students were barred from receiving their certificates because of their addiction to drugs.

On Tuesday, KIO Vice President Gauri Zau Seng and Head of the Civil Administration Department Lachyawng Hkawng Lum lectured the trainees. “We have to stand for the people, while performing administrative tasks,” said Gauri Zau Seng.

According to the KIO, over 300 people serve in the KIO’s Civil Administration Department.

The Kachin Independence Organization was founded on February 5, 1961, with the goal to establish an independent Kachin state. The KIO agreed to a ceasefire with the Burmese military government on February 24, 1994. Currently, delegates of the KIO have been attending National Convention led by junta.