Myanmar Marks Unity Day, but Peace Remains Elusive

Myanmar's government Thursday held a somber ceremony marking the nation's symbolic unification after the colonial era, but a coveted ceasefire with ethnic rebel groups remained out of reach as conflict sweeps across northern borderlands.

The quasi-civilian regime says peace in the ethnically diverse but conflict-prone nation is pivotal to the success of reforms and Myanmar's development.

It had hoped to reach a breakthrough in the protracted negotiations in time for the Union Day celebration, which saw starched-uniformed soldiers parade in front of civil servants and ethnic minority leaders, many proudly wearing their traditional clothes.

But hours of talks Thursday between President Thein Sein and around a dozen ethnic minority armed groups in the capital Naypyidaw produced only a lackluster commitment to work towards peace that was signed by just four rebel groups.

The discussions come amid deadly unrest in the northern states of Kachin and Shan.

Talks have also been hampered by distrust between rebel groups and the Myanmar military, as well as issues such as disarmament and the concept of federal armies.

"People worry what would happen if there is no ceasefire. That's why we are trying everything possible. Fighting is easy. Trying to get peace is more difficult," said Phado Saw Kwe Htoo Win, of the Karen National Union who is also part of the negotiating team for the ethnic groups.

In an ominous development, clashes earlier this week between Myanmar's army and rebels in the largely ethnic Chinese Kokang area of Shan reopened a conflict that had been largely dormant for nearly six years.

Information minister Ye Htut said the military was "striving to restore safety and security" in the area, after state-backed media reported that government forces had used airstrikes in their efforts to flush out the rebels.

Beijing said the conflict had caused a flood of people to cross the border, without giving specific numbers.

Union Day marks the signing of a deal in the run up to independence from British colonial rule that agreed an element of autonomy for major ethnic minority areas, but stipulated the regions would stay within Myanmar.

But civil war sparked soon after independence in 1948 and eruptions of violence have blighted different parts of the nation since.

Myanmar's army, which seized power in 1962, used the unrest as a justification for its iron-fisted rule and has been accused of a litany of humanitarian abuses in border areas, where tussles over abundant resources have also added fuel to the fighting.

Myanmar has more than 130 recognized ethnic groups, but peace talks are with 16 major armed groups, most of whom have put down their guns although several remain engaged in fighting.

Conflict between the army and rebels in northern Kachin State has raged since 2011 when a 17-year ceasefire shattered, driving some 100,000 people from their homes.

The unrest has increasingly spread to various parts of northern Shan state, where last week the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) also accused Myanmar's army of using helicopter gunships to attack its positions.

Neither the Kachin Independence Army or the TNLA sent representatives to Naypyidaw and their absence has stoked concern about unity among the ethnic groups.

Observers say Myanmar's hotly anticipated general election, expected in late 2015, adds urgency to the talks, with negotiators eager to forge an agreement before the start of campaigning.

Ethnic leaders could score votes by stoking anti-state feeling in minority areas or may shy away from a deal with the current government -- which is widely predicted to lose to Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition in the polls.

Trevor Wilson, an academic at Australian National University and former ambassador to Myanmar, said if the talks drag on "people will start withholding agreement".

"(If people are) getting political benefit out of disagreement, why would they give that opportunity up prematurely?" he said.

President Thein Sein, who did not attend the muted Union Day ceremony Thursday, issued a message in state media vowing the government would continue its "relentless efforts" to agree on the national ceasefire and move to political discussions.