Locals in the town of Muse, a notorious hotbed of smuggling, reported that fighting broke out since early morning. "People from (the) border check point are now fleeing to Muse town because of heavy fighting but we do not know which groups are fighting yet," Aye Aye, a resident in Muse town told AFP. Muse lies in the north of Shan, not far from Kachin, and is separated from China by a river. Suu Kyi has made brokering peace with the patchwork of armed minorities fighting the state a priority. But ongoing fighting in Kachin and Shan states overshadowed the talks and ending the complex, protracted conflicts is expected to take years.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 20, 2016 06:51 UTC