Five ethnic armed groups, including two major Karen and Shan rebel organizations, held peace talks with a Naypyidaw delegation at the Thai-Burmese border on Saturday and three informally agreed a ceasefire, according to sources.
The Karen National Union (KNU) and Shan State Army-South (SSA-South) met with a Burmese government delegation led by Aung Min, the minister for railways, who was sent by President Thein Sein.
“We talked about peace. We asked what was the role for ethnic armed groups in the government’s peace process,” said Maj Sai Lao Hseng, a spokesperson for the SSA-South.
“The Minister, Aung Min, explained to us that there are three steps toward the emergence of peace—a ceasefire, cooperation between ceasefire groups and Naypyidaw for development, and a meeting hosted by the government to tackle unsolved political conflicts,” he added.
Other ethnic armed groups present at the talks were the Kachin Independence Organization, Karenni National Progressive Party and Chin National Front (CNF), with only the CNF joining the SSA-South and KNU in informally agreeing to a ceasefire.