Guns might fall silent but the drug trade will rage on

An end to Myanmars civil wars is in sight, but the narco-armies on Thailands border want no part in
the peace .A new atmosphere of optimism is pervading Myanmars peace process. A meeting
between representatives of the government and the countrys 18 armed ethnic insurgencies ended
on Tuesday with an agreement to sign a ceasefire pact soon.
The meeting this week in Myitkyina, in conflict-torn northern Kachin State, was the first such summit
in decades. Next month both sides will meet in Karen State, just as scarred by violence, for a second
round of negotiations. Hopefully that session will herald an end to decades of civil war. President
Thein Sein, who came to power in March 2011, has already signed separate ceasefire agreements
with 14 ethnic groups. The next step is a national pact covering every such group.
Read the full report published in The Nation