Myanmar president reaffirms commitment to achieving peace, promoting economic development

Myanmar President U Thein Sein on Sunday reaffirmed the country's commitment to achieving peace, promoting economic development and building a better future for future generations.

U Thein Sein made the remarks in his regular monthly radio speech to the nation.

Regarding armed conflicts in the country, he voiced his government's commitment to a negotiated end to the armed violence that has plagued the country since independence.

He disclosed that peace negotiation between the government and the ethnic armed groups will continue in the middle of this month.

Touching on the situation in the Kokang self-administrative region in northeastern Shan state, he said "Tatmadaw (army) and security forces had to quickly respond and defend against attempts to undermine national sovereignty, public safety, property and national unity."

Over the clashes, he said "the two nations (Myanmar and China) have already agreed to cooperate in accordance with the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence", saying that "the situation in the Kokang region is being contained and efforts are underway to restore normalcy."

Concerning education reform, he revealed that the Education Ministry has consulted with student groups and civil society to facilitate the amendment of the National Education Law and the parliament is now considering the changes.

He urged all the groups involved to act with vision and through dialogue to nurture an education system that will improve the lives of citizens, strengthen democratic reform and build an open and peaceful society.

Relating to workers' rights, he said the government is facilitating negotiation between employers and employees to resolve disagreement that currently exist.

Dealing with White Card (temporary identification) issue, he warned that the White Card will expire at the end of this month and government departments concerned will ensure that the legitimate rights of the card holders are maintained during the citizenship verification process.

In anticipation of the upcoming general election preliminarily set for November, the president urged political leaders and the civil society to work together to achieve the common goal. Endi