Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi kicked off a tour of war-torn Kachin State on Friday, urging voters to choose her National League for Democracy (NLD) in order to better prospect for peace in the region, The Irrawaddy reported.
Speaking at a campaign rally in the state capital Myitkyina, she said: “We would be able to do that only if you have faith in us and give us a chance to do it. Without being the government, we aren’t able to bring peace. That’s the reality.”
The 70-year-old Nobel laureate told the crowd that her party had not been invited to participate in ongoing peace negotiations between more than a dozen ethnic armed groups and the government of President Thein Sein.
“We were accused of derailing the peace process even if we made constructive criticism on the issue. So, if you want us to make it happen, please give us enough votes to form the government,” she added.
Fighting between government troops and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has flared periodically in several parts of Kachin State since a ceasefire agreement between the two parties broke down in 2011. Clashes in Mansi Township late last month forced Suu Kyi to scratch planned campaign stops in the area.
Suu Kyi has been criticized at home and abroad for her silence on the Kachin conflict, which has seen more than 100,000 civilians displaced over the last four years.