8 ethnic rebel armies sign cease-fire pact with Myanmar govt

[Jonathan Fairfield]

8 ethnic rebel armies sign cease-fire pact with Myanmar govt

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar's government and eight smaller ethnic rebel armies signed a cease-fire agreement to end more than six decades of fighting, but several more powerful groups refused to come on board, signaling that peace will remain elusive for some time to come.

The agreement was signed at a ceremony in Myanmar's administrative capital, Naypyitaw by President Thein Sein and representatives of the groups. The refusal of the larger armies, such as the Kachin and Wa, to sign it robs Thein Sein of what he had hoped would be the crowning achievement of his five-year term.

Still, the agreement, called the National Ceasefire Agreement, despite its truncated list of participants is seen as a first step toward ending six decades of fighting between the government, dominated by the Burmese majority, and various minority ethnic groups demanding autonomy and control over their natural resources.

Ethnic groups, representing 40 percent of the country's 52 million people, have found themselves victims of military abuses and discrimination in areas spanning from health and education to road construction and access to electricity.

"The National Ceasefire Agreement is a historic gift from us to the generations of the future," Thein Sein said at the signing ceremony. "Even though the agreement is not nationwide yet, we will try harder to gain the agreement with other groups."

Myanmar stunned the world by opening politically and economically in 2011 following a half-century of harsh military rule. But early reforms have since either stalled or started rolling backward. That has upped the stakes for getting cease-fire deals with all ethnic armies, one of Thein Sein's biggest pledges.

It comes just before the Nov. 8 general elections for a new parliament, which will eventually lead to the election of a new president.

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-10-15

[Expat1]

This is nothing new. They (various ethnic groups) have signed with the Govt before in the past and virtually no one kept their word. This time it may be different as more money is being injected into the country, they are opening up a little and they are going to have at least a semblance of a democratic election and democratic govt, well kinda. I hope so because those poor SOBs have been fighting there a VERY long time, they deserve a break.

Edited October 15, 2015 by Expat1