appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Reuters

Myanmar’s new military-backed government wants to hold peace talks with ⁠opposition armed groups by the ⁠end of July, the country’s ⁠junta leader-turned-president said, but two key rebel groups rejected the offer on Tuesday.
State media reported that President Min Aung Hlaing, who led a coup five years ago that plunged the Southeast Asian country into a civil war that continues to ‌rage, told a government meeting that he wanted rebel groups that were not part of a ceasefire deal to join talks to be held within 100 days.
“For groups that have not yet engaged in dialogue and negotiation, we also invite them to come participate in discussions by the final deadline of July 31,” he said, and mentioned ⁠opposition groups such as the Karen National Union, the Chin National Front (CNF), and the All Burma ‌Students’ Democratic Front.
Min Aung Hlaing referred to signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in his remarks, a deal that was in place before the 2021 ‌coup threw it into question.
Saw Taw Nee, a spokesperson for the KNU, dismissed ⁠the government proposal. “The KNU ⁠has already withdrawn from the NCA since the 2021 coup. We have no plans to return to negotiations ‌or follow the NCA path,” he said.
CNF spokesman Salai Htet Ni said his group was seeking a federal democratic system free ‌of the ‌influence of the military.

“Since we are fighting a military-political battle for this, we have ‌nothing to discuss with those who currently call themselves an ‘administration’ after merely changing their appearance from ⁠the military,” he said.
Myanmar has been in turmoil following the coup that overthrew the democratically elected ⁠government of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who was subsequently imprisoned for 27 years on charges her allies say were politically motivated. Last week, the ‌government cut the 80-year-old’s ‌sentence by one-sixth.
The parliament elected Min Aung Hlaing as president earlier this month, following a lopsided election that was derided by critics and Western governments as a sham to perpetuate military rule behind a veneer of democracy.
The new military-backed administration has only been recognised by a few countries.


Malaysia to invite Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing for Rohingya repatriation talks

As Asia rapidly ages, who cares for the carers when they grow old?

Up in smoke: why Southeast Asia failed to halt the haze

As Singapore weighs joining China-led AI body, does it risk US retaliation?

Myanmar

Myanmar president seeks peace talks by July 31, 2 rebel groups reject offer

An anti-coup activist undergoes military training at a camp of the Karen National Union, an ethnic rebel group, in Kayin state, Myanmar. Photo: AFP

Myanmar’s newly elected President Min Aung Hlaing waves as he leaves Union Parliament after a swearing-in ceremony in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

Indonesian activists target Myanmar’s president in genocide case against him

Myanmar’s then junta chief Min Aung Hlaing attends an army parade in Naypyitaw in 2021. Photo: Reuters

Yasmin Ullah, a Rohingya survivor, and 10 prominent Indonesian human rights figures have filed a genocide complaint against Myanmar’s newly elected President Min Aung Hlaing. Photo: AFP

Rohingya refugees carry sacks of relief aid at the Kutupalong camp in Ukhia, Bangladesh. Photo: AFP

Min Aung Hlaing shows his inked finger after casting vote at a polling station in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, in December. Photo: Xinhua

Myanmar’s food security in crisis as fuel, fertiliser shortages threaten fragile economy

An employee refuels a vehicle at a petrol station amid rising prices in Mandalay, Myanmar, on March 20. Photo: AFP

A worker sits next to clumps of bananas displayed outside his stall at a wholesale market in Yangon on March 25. Photo: AFP

Yangon city in Myanmar, on March 12. Analysts warn that the already threadbare services across the country are under extreme pressure. Photo: EPA 

From general to Myanmar president: Min Aung Hlaing’s rebrand dismissed as ‘cosmetic’

Myanmar’s parliament elected junta chief Min Aung Hlaing as president on Friday. Photo: AFP

Myanmar lawmakers arrive for a session at parliament in Naypyidaw on Friday. Photo: AP

Why more Rohingya risk sea escapes to Malaysia, Indonesia: ‘some make it, some die’

Rohingya refugees wait to be rescued from the hull of their capsized boat in waters off west Aceh in 2024. Photo: AFP

Rohingya refugees gather at a roadside market inside a refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Rahila Begum at a refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Photo: Reuters

Rohingya refugees stand in queue to receive ration from the World Food Programme in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Photo: Reuters

Faisal, a human trafficker, speaks on a mobile phone at a beach near a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Photo: Reuters

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

Of the rebel groups that Min Aung Hlaing mentioned in his offer, the Karen National Union and the Chin National Front have rejected his call


Of the rebel groups that Min Aung Hlaing mentioned in his offer, the Karen National Union and the Chin National Front have rejected his call.


War and conflict

Aung San Suu Kyi

Myanmar's democratic transition

Min Aung Hlaing

Myanmar president seeks peace talks by July 31, 2 rebel groups reject offer

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Of the rebel groups that Min Aung Hlaing mentioned in his offer, the Karen National Union and the Chin National Front have rejected his call

Of the rebel groups that Min Aung Hlaing mentioned in his offer, the Karen National Union and the Chin National Front have rejected his call