Ethnic armed groups summit in Laiza ends with call for federal union

Leaders from 16 Burma's ethnic armed groups held a summit on a nationwide ceasefire agreement in Laiza from July 25 - 29 - 2014.

A summit of representatives from 16 of Burma's armed ethnic groups ended on Tuesday following four days of talks in Laiza, the capital of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO). The KIO was hosting the summit which is the third meeting of its kind to be held in less than a year. A previous round of talks was held in Laiza in November last year while another meeting was held in the Karen National Union (KNU) territory in January.

China denies abandoning Yunnan-Burma rail line

Mr. Yang Houlan, the Chinese ambassador to Burma

China's ambassador to Burma Yang Houlan has denied a recent news report indicating that a planned train line running from Yunnan to Burma's Rakhine (Arakan) coast had been cancelled. According to China's state owned Xinhua news agency when Ambassador Yang was asked about the project during a press conference in Yangon on Thursday “Yang denied the abandonment of the project by the Chinese side”.

Burma's ethnic armed groups meet in Laiza for peace conference

Laiza, the capital of KIO in Kachin state, northern Burma

Senior representatives from 16 of Burma's armed ethnic groups this week arrived in Laiza, the Kachin Independence Organization's (KIO) de facto headquarters, for talks aimed at solidifying a united rebel front in advance of further negotiations between the armed groups and the central government later this year. The talks began on Thursday and are expected to last till early next week.

KIA soldier killed by Burma army, 2 KIA officers arrested

Lt-Col Naw Bu, one of the KIA respresentatives serving on the joint committee established in May to help resolve tensions between the army an the KIA.

One Kachin Independence Army (KIA) soldier was killed and two KIA officers arrested by Burma government soldiers in Kachin state late last month, according to KIA officials.