Myanmar's government held peace talks yesterday with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), one of the country's most powerful rebel groups, as part of moves to resolve all its ethnic conflicts after decades of fighting.
A delegation led by industry minister and head peace negotiator Aung Thaung met KIA representatives in the Chinese border town of Ruili for talks aimed at halting a conflict that resurfaced in June and has displaced tens of thousands of people.
In a statement sent to Reuters, the KIA said the talks were aimed at containing the conflict "with a view to the emergence of stability, tranquility and sustainable peace."
Myanmar has agreed to ceasefires with several ethnic rebel groups in the past two months.