Myanmar state counselor urges armed groups in conflict to join ceasefire pact signing

Myanmar's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday urged the armed groups in conflict to join the government's peace process by signing the Nationwide Ceasefire Accord (NCA).

Suu Kyi, as the capacity of chairperson of the National Reconciliation and Peace Center, made the call in an announcement issued on the situation of current conflicts in northern Shan state.

She said she was saddened and disappointed by the current clashes in the northern part of the country.

She extended sympathy and condolence to victims who had lost their lives and been wounded.

She asked the armed groups to work together with the civil society to find ways and means to strengthen the monitoring mechanism that would ensure non-violation of ceasefire agreement and to strive and work toward a peace goal and take part on equal terms in the upcoming 21st Century Panglong Conference to be held in February 2017.

Military conflicts broke out in the border area of northern Myanmar's Shan state early Sunday morning with an alliance of three non-ceasefire signatory ethnic armed groups launching simultaneous and surprising attacks on government's military outposts and police stations in Muse and Kutkai townships as well as a border trade zone in Muse.

The three armed groups are Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and Kokang's Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). Endit