Myanmar's president Tuesday hailed a draft national ceasefire with armed rebel groups, described by the U.N. as a "historic and significant achievement" as the country tries to end decades of civil war.

Reformist leader Thein Sein, who has placed a ceasefire agreement at the heart of efforts to shake off the legacy of military rule, said an end to the fighting was within reach -- even though unrest continues in northern border areas.

Myanmar president Thein Sein said a draft peace deal with a host of rebel groups would go down in history, in a speech Tuesday highlighting the government's eagerness to end decades of civil war.

The reformist leader, who has placed a national ceasefire agreement at the heart of the country's efforts to shake off the legacy of military rule, said an end to the fighting -- which has continued in northern border areas -- was within reach.

The United States voiced concern Monday at the arrest of and charges against peaceful protesters in Myanmar after a protest over educational reform, and called for their release.

More than 60 demonstrators were brought to a court hearing in the central town of Letpadan on Wednesday, two weeks after baton-wielding police violently quelled their rally for education reform in scenes that sparked fears of a return to junta-era repression.

Myanmar peace negotiators agreed the draft text of a historic nationwide ceasefire agreement on Monday, as the country edges closer to ending decades of conflict between ethnic minority groups and the government.

The tentative deal, which comes as heavy fighting between the military and rebel groups continues to ravage a northern border area, sets out the framework for a countrywide ceasefire -- a key target of the government as the nation heads towards crucial elections later this year.

Thai police said Monday they had charged 70 migrants from Myanmar and six Rohingya Muslims with illegal entry after they were arrested on a train bound for a southern province bordering Malaysia.

The migrants were taken off the train from Bangkok at around 4:30 am in Nakhon Si Thammarat province when they failed to present valid travel documents, said local railway police sub-inspector Kraisorn Boonlum.

Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi Friday snubbed a grand annual parade showcasing military strength for the first time in three years, as the country's army chief warned against "any disturbances to stability" in upcoming elections.  

The veteran democracy campaigner, who has suffered a bout of minor ill health in recent days, was conspicuously absent from the Armed Forces Day ceremony. 

Angry relatives gathered outside a Myanmar court Wednesday to show support for dozens of activists, arrested after a police crackdown on a student-led protest and facing charges that could see them jailed for nearly a decade.

More than 60 demonstrators were brought to a court hearing in the central town of Letpadan two weeks after baton-wielding police violently quelled their rally for education reform in scenes that sparked fears of a return to junta-era repression.

Police in Myanmar have rejected a lawsuit by monks who suffered phosphorus burns at the hands of officers when they protested against a controversial copper mine in 2012, a lawyer said Tuesday.

Two monks have been trying to sue the country's police chief and home minister after demonstrations against the China-backed Letpadaung mine near the central town of Monywa were violently suppressed by authorities.

Every morning Su Wai Phyo wakes before dawn to do something that was until recently banned in Myanmar: study politics.

The 23-year-old is one of a handful of students taking part in a new political science diploma for postgraduates at the University of Yangon -- a course that would have been unthinkable under Myanmar's brutal junta.

Myanmar's president has rejected criticism that his government has stalled on crucial reforms and has defended the powerful army's hold over politics. 

Thein Sein, a former general who has run Myanmar since 2011 when the junta ceded power to a quasi-civilian government after decades of brutal rule, insisted his country was on the path towards genuine democracy.