Myanmar's latest attempt at securing a historic ceasefire deal with ethnic armed groups ended in frustration Friday, the government's chief negotiator said, as talks snagged on military and political disagreements.

Peace in ethnically-diverse Myanmar is seen as crucial to the country's future as it looks to reform under a quasi-civilian government that replaced outright military rule in 2011.

Myanmar's army Thursday released 109 children and young people from its armed forces, the United Nations said, commending the country's "accelerated" efforts to end the use of child soldiers.

The move was the largest single release of child recruits since the formerly junta-ruled nation committed to ending the recruitment and use of children in its "tatmadaw" army in a June 2012 pact with the U.N.

Myanmar's efforts to secure a historic ceasefire agreement with ethnic armed groups are "at a crucial moment", the government's chief negotiator said Monday, at the start of a fresh round of negotiations.

The government has made ending over half a century of civil strife in the country's minority border areas a key priority as the nation emerges from decades of junta rule.

Nine Myanmar police officers were injured as they sought to free officials held hostage by dozens of angry workers demanding wages and compensation after their factory was shuttered, authorities said Thursday.

More than 150 former staff descended on the Master Sport shoe facility on the outskirts of Yangon Tuesday, demanding payment following the closure of the South Korean-owned factory in June.

Myanmar, which only recently emerged from a half-century of dictatorship and self-imposed isolation, has one of the world's worst health care systems, with tens of thousands dying each year because treatment is lacking for many diseases, including AIDS.

Though international aid has been flowing into the country since 2011, when military rulers handed over power to a nominally civilian government, the country remains one of the hardest places to get care for HIV. Of the estimated 190,000 people who lived with the virus last year, only around a third were receiving treatment, and more than 15,000 died from the disease, according to UNAIDS.

Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday pledged further economic support for Myanmar if it holds fair elections next year and does more to protect ethnic minorities.

After talks with Myanmar's President Thein Sein, Merkel told a joint news conference that Germany was ready to boost investment and development aid but would keep a close eye on human rights in the country, which is still emerging from decades of military rule and international isolation.

Myanmar authorities have seized $7.3 million of drugs buried in a forest in the so-called "Golden Triangle", police said Tuesday, raising fears of a boom in the narcotics trade in the notorious border region.

Myanmar's parliament could consider a petition by Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition calling for an end to the army's veto on amending the constitution in the former junta-ruled nation, the house speaker said Monday.

The campaign has garnered nearly five million signatures and has seen opposition leader Suu Kyi -- who is constitutionally barred from becoming president -- challenge the military to support altering the charter, which was drawn up under the previous regime.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday said Myanmar faced "significant challenges" in its democratic transition but pledged Washington's support as the former pariah moves towards "benchmark" elections.

Washington's top diplomat said he held "frank" discussions with Myanmar President Thein Sein on the sidelines of Southeast Asian meetings, warning that there was still "a lot of work to be done" as the country emerges from decades of military rule. 

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday warned Myanmar it had a long way to go in its transition from military rule to democracy and raised concerns over the progress of reforms, State Department officials said.

Washington's top diplomat told Myanmar's President Thein Sein that while the United States acknowledged sweeping changes in the once-isolated Southeast Asian nation, fears remained over press freedom and religious unrest.