Myanmar's new government headed by the National League for Democracy has said one of its top priorities is to end the country's armed ethnic rebellions, which stretch back in various forms to the 1930s. The government surely faces no greater challenge in embedding the new civilian administration and ensuring future national prosperity than finally achieving peace throughout the country.
The biggest obstacles in securing that peace are demands for decentralization and greater autonomy being made by groups in resource-rich states dominated by local ethnic populations. The government has taken its first steps to resolve ethnic conflicts by creating a national minister for ethnic affairs and promising to introduce a national policy to teach ethnic minority languages based on a program drawn up by UNICEF. However, none of these ideas are new. (Courtesy of asia.nikkei.com)
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