Myanmar government to hold peace talks with Kachin rebels

Jan 17, 2012, 14:25 GMT

Yangon - Myanmar's peace committee is to hold talks this week with the Kachin insurgency to seek an end to fighting that has raged since June in the country's northern state, sources confirmed Tuesday.

A government delegation led by Aung Thaung, head of the peace-building committee, will fly to Shan state capital Lashio on Wednesady, then head to the Chinese border town of Ruili for talks with the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), government sources said.

The talks with the KIO follow a similar ceasefire dialogue held with the Karen National Union (KNU) on Thursday.

Prior to that that government signed tentative ceasefire agreements with the Shan State Army-South and China National Army, two other ethnic minority insurgencies.

But in contrast to these three insurgencies, Myanmar's military has waged an all-out offensive against the Kachin Independence Army, the KIO's military wing, since June, displacing some 60,000 civilians.

'The people of Kachin State live in fear due to the massive presence of Burma Army troops, ongoing fighting and grave violations of human rights,' the KIO said in statement. Burma is an alternative name for Myanmar.

'They continue to live in dire conditions without adequate assistance due to the Burmese government's restrictions on humanitarian organizations,' it added.

Western democracies have called for an end to all fighting with a dozen ethnic minority insurgencies as one of their preconditions to normalizing diplomatic ties with Myanmar, whose atrocious human rights earned it pariah status during the 23-year rule of the previous junta.

The junta made way for a nominal civilian government after a general election in November 2010.