MPs urge both sides talk online
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Parliament's Lower House has urged the Union Peace-making Committee and Kachin armed forces to work towards lasting peace after reducing tension in the northern state. It suggested online talks to ensure transparency, as "face-to-face" meetings are not fe
A statement from the Lower House on Friday said lives were being lost on both sides and stressed that the conflict needed to be resolved through “political dialogue”. If representatives from both sides could not meet in person they could still talk directly online to ensure their discussions were transparent, the statement said.
Despite orders from President Thein Sein to the Chief of Defence Services late last year to halt all offensives in Kachin State clashes between government troops and Kachin forces escalated last year, displacing tens of thousands of people.
The military ordered Kachin Independence Army forces to withdraw from the Myitkyina-Bahmo route within two days last December 23. Vice-chairman Aung Min said the Kachin Independence Organisation objected to the military’s ultimatum.
International non-government groups now estimate the number of internally displaced people is about 100,000, double the number at the end of 2011.
Kachin who had fled into China to escape fighting last year began returning in August when China refused to accept them as refugees.
Karen National Union leader General Saw Mutu Say Poe said the KNU plans to assist in crafting a ceasefire between government forces and the KIA. Local residents of Kachin State have repeatedly called for an end to armed clashes, saying women and children bear the brunt of the strife.
