Burma-Myanmar: 3 rebel groups halt offensive pending further peace talks
Three ethnic armed groups who have been fighting in Myanmar’s northeast—the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Arakan Army and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army—said they would cease their offensives in northern Shan State but would continue to defend themselves, according to a Chinese-language statement released on Sept. 2.
Mai Aik Kyaw, a spokesman for the TNLA, told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that the statement “was based on the Keng Tung peace talks [held on Aug. 31]. We will stop the offensives, because we want to see an end to the civil war and see peace building in the whole country through political dialogue. But we will maintain our defensive activities.”
A Burmese-language version of the statement was released on Wednesday afternoon. It said the groups aim to facilitate national reconciliation and the peace process, and to completely resolve the country’s long-running armed conflicts through political dialogue.