Peace conference to be held in Myanmar capital Naypyidaw

Myanmar hopes to take significant steps towards ending its long-running armed conflicts this month as leaders will meet for a peace conference starting Wednesday in the capital city Naypyidaw. However, the battlefields are unlikely to quieten down any time soon.

Insurgents are fighting Myanmar’s military in the north of the country. Myanmar has more than 20 armed ethnic insurgent groups and the conflicts have been ongoing for decades. The country held a peace conference in August 2016 but the fighting has actually escalated since then.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced during the past few months, many seeking shelter in refugee camps and monasteries. State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi leads the civilian government and has made the peace process her top priority. But under the country’s military drafted constitution, she has no authority over the army.

Ethnic minorities are pushing for more political autonomy in regions of the country where they make up the majority. According to an analyst, the peace process from the group can be “seen as an effort to decentralize” and to “devolve more power to the local and state level.”

The Myanmar government said recently that the ethnic states will be allowed to write their own constitutions, which “potentially gives state assemblies far more authority, gives chief ministers far more authority” and leads into lots of peace process issues, including revenue sharing, ethnic rights, language and education.

However, as CGTN's Dave Grunebaum reports, long-time observers say this country still remains a long way off from a lasting peace.

(CGTN)