If it holds, this is a very big deal as the internal fighting has gone on for decades. Parts of Myanmar were off-limits due to the ethnic fighting. We've seen visits from the UK and US recently which have indicated a new Myanmar, plus the call for more open elections so perhaps there is going to be actual change there. Perhaps. Al Jazeera:
Myanmar's government and one of the country's most prominent ethnic rebel groups, the Karen National Union (KNU), have signed a ceasefire after decades of civil conflict. A delegation of ministers from the capital Naypyidaw and senior members of the KNU signed the pact in Hpa-an, the capital of eastern Karen state, an AFP news agency reporter witnessed on Thursday. The military-dominated government, which came to power in March last year after decades of outright army rule, has been trying to reach out to ethnic groups as part of reforms seemingly aimed at ending its isolated status. Civil war has gripped parts of the country since its independence in 1948, and an end to the conflicts, as well as alleged human rights abuses involving government troops, is a key demand of the international community.
