U Aung Min, President’s Office Minister and Vice Chairman # 2 of the Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC) arrived in two helicopters in Mongla at noon today.

His 39 person delegation was greeted by Sai Leun, leader of Mongla-based National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA).

Apart from areas where there are still fighting, incidents of killings and rapes by the Burma Army have “noticeably reduced” but beatings and forced labor have worsened in many peaceful places, reports Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) in its November report.

According to the UN Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), Thailand, due to its remarkable success in its policy to reduce birth rate, is facing high demand for labor.

Until the middle of the 20th century, most people did not live beyond the age of 50, but today the average Thai can expect to reach the age of 73, the UNFPA’s Thailand Office that has been working with the Thai government since 1972, says in today’s Bangkok Post supplement.

In response to criticisms that the 3-day Shan conference in Rangoon that concluded Wednesday, 28 November, did not come up with formal resolutions, its organizers have countered with statements that the meeting augurs well for subsequent peace building efforts.

Recent survey conducted in 39 townships has called for repeal of 4 of the 8 point peace guideline set by the Thein Sein government, according to a copy of the survey results received by SHAN this morning.

U Aung Min, President’s Office Minister for ethnic and NGO affairs, is due to visit Panghsang, the capital of Wa on the Sino-Burmese border, in December, according to sources close to the United Wa State Army (UWSA) leadership.

Young Shan monks who have studied abroad, and many more who are studying outside the country, say they are ready for the changes introduced by the Thein Sein government, particularly in the educational field.

Speaking at the third and last day of the Shan forum on Trustbuilding for Peace today in Rangoon, Dr Sai Kham Leik recalled how a cartoon that appeared in a Shan publication had spurred him to write ‘Panglong Agreement’, his most celebrated song among the Shans since 1971.