Myanmar’s military government rebuffed on peace talks offer

Coup leader Min Aung Hlaing elected by parliament as president earlier this month after election derided as a sham.Myanmar’s military-backed government has invited opposition armed groups to peace talks, but two key rebel groups quickly rejected the offer.President Min Aung Hlaing, the general who led a coup five years ago that led to the civil war, told a government meeting on Monday that he wanted rebel groups that have not yet agreed a ceasefire deal to join talks within 100 days, according to state media.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Myanmar pardons over 4,000 prisoners, including deposed presidentlist 2 of 3Myanmar’s coup leader Min Aung Hlaing sworn in as presidentlist 3 of 3Myanmar’s coup leader elected president by pro-military parliamentend of list“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, mentioning opposition groups that had previously signed a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in place before the 2021 coup.The Karen National Union swiftly turned down the offer. A spokesperson noted the group had withdrawn from the NCA following the 2021 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government and has “no plans to return to negotiations or follow the NCA path”.Chin National Front 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.Min Aung Hlaing was elected by parliament as president earlier this month, after what critics called a sham election designed to maintain the military’s grip on power behind a veneer of democracy.