While the refugee crisis on Myanmar’s western border commands the more urgent attention, the international community cannot ignore its sister situation to the east, on the Thai frontier. The much-vaunted peace process undertaken as part of the 21st Century Panglong Conference is unlikely to end the trouble and bring about reconciliation. This has entailed violent clashes between Myanmar troops and ethnic armed groups that have claimed the lives of many civilians and displaced thousands of people from their homes. While Myanmar authorities and government troops have never been able to defeat the armed ethnic insurgents, neither are truces easy to achieve or maintain. The current peace process was to have been the subject of a third meeting in January, but that was postponed, and no one has said whether they’ll try again this month.

Source: The Nation Bangkok February 05, 2018 17:26 UTC