China must participate in Myanmar’s peace process: SNLD

Khun Tun Oo, chairman of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), urged for China's participation in Myanmore peace process at the Sedona Hotel in Yangon on August 13. He made the request to Mr Song Tao, the visiting Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

SNLD officials proposed that the visiting Chinese minister should participate in Myanmar’s peace process, according to Sai Leik, the first joint-secretary of the SNLD, who spoke to the Daily Eleven.

“We focus on party relations. Youths will be sent to training to exchange views. Cooperation will lead to close relations. We demand that the Chinese government participate in our peace-building with the right attitude. Most ethnic armed groups in our border areas have to rely on China. In this state, China’s right attitude is a decisive factor in our peace process,” Sai Leik said. (Courtesy of elevenmyanmar.com)

Myanmar monsoon floods kill eight, disrupt lives of 400,000

Floods caused by monsoon rains have killed at least eight people and disrupted the lives of 400,000 across Myanmar, the government said, a year since the worst floods in decades left thousands homeless and inundated vast tracts of farmland.

Weeks of torrential rains have flooded more than 400,000 acres of paddy fields, exacerbating last year's damage, a senior Agriculture Ministry official said on Monday.

With a per capita gross domestic product of $1,244, Myanmar is one of the poorest countries in East Asia and the Pacific. Parts of Myanmar are flooded annually at the peak of the monsoon season, but the damage this year is being watched closely because reconstruction from last year is still under way. (Courtesy of reuters.com)