M.MAS 1/12/17 society leader alerted a friend in the media to the story but asked that nothing be published before he attempted to negotiate, and that the story should only be publicized if the negotiations broke down. The following day, the civil society leader met with the hundred-household leader, the village tract leader, and laypeople and monks from 969. He met with them on the road and the villagers came and listened. When he spoke to the Township General Administrator, he was referred to the District General Administrator, saying that it was this man who had the authority to handle the situation. The civil society leader then went to the seat of the township and discussed the case with authorities from different departments. When he went to talk to the police and the army, 14 or 15 people from the village went with him. He asked the person responsible from the army why they had declared martial law. They replied that it was because they have responsibility for security. The army then referred him to the same District General Administrator. Because this administrator knew the civil society leader, he trusted him to help with the problem. The civil society leader also met with police, other district GAD authorities, district-level 969 leaders, and Muslim and Hindu religious leaders from the area. He argued to these leaders that the villagers did not want conflict, and so the case should be handled according to the law. He explained that the people who been hospitalised deserved medical compensation from those who had beaten them. In addition, Muslims had been in error because they were butchering cattle before Eid and had not informed the municipal authorities. He urged them to acknowledge and confess their mistake. His argument was eventually accepted by the Muslim leader, who explained that the Muslims had made the mistake because they did not know the rules. In return, the 969 leader said that they would not be too strict about the rules. The leaders agreed that Muslims would only have to inform the 969-affiliated group, as the permit holders, when they were planning to slaughter cows and sell the meat. According to the interviews, getting to this point of mutual agreement took about eight days. During this time, people who live in the area supported the civil society leader and encouraged him in the negotiations. Ultimately, the people who were hospitalised also received compensation. In addition, the civil society leader is still in contact with 969 and was invited to at least one meeting later convened by the group. Interviewees’ analysis Again, one of the primary motivations, both for the civil society leader who facilitated the negotiations and for those he was trying to convince, was a desire to avoid the negative effects of a wider conflict. The civil society leader explained that he was particularly worried about the religious dimensions: “There are not many Muslims in [another town in the area]. But there are many Muslims, Burmese, and Karen in [this area]. 969 has been around for only 1 or 2 months and already conflict is occurring between Muslims and monks. Conflict has occurred across Myanmar. So I was worried about it and helped to solve the problem.”35 One person also contacted him to say that “I am afraid that our religion [Buddhism] will be affected,” presumably because people from outside of the area might blow the case out of proportion, not understanding the local dynamics. 36 The villagers were also concerned about the impact that conflict would have on them: 35 36 Male, 38 years old, Buddhist, local CSO leader. Male, 28 years old, Buddhist, local resident. 12/24