Talks in Rangoon a sham

Talks in Rangoon a sham, says ceasefire group officer 

A top official from a Shan ceasefire group, interviewed by S.H.A.N. by telephone, dismissed reports of talks between Aung San Suu Kyi and the generals as a ruse to woo foreign assistance. 
"Nobody really knows what the talks are all about," he said. "Considering everything else the junta is doing to the people, it is hard to believe it is going to give up power." 

Asked by S.H.A.N. to confirm reports about Rangoon's invitation to surrender their arms and set up a political party in preparation for general elections, the officer, who requested anonymity, replied in the negative. "We've heard them from the Burmese officers often enough," he acknowledged. "But there hasn't been any formal proposition from anybody so far." 

He also confirmed the killings of 17 Shan militiamen by junta troops on 7 July in Panglong, southern Shan State. "The Burmese were afraid they might join Yawdserk's Shan State Army South," he said. 
The Shan State Army "North" and Shan State National Army a.k.a. Shan State Army "Central", both of which enjoy ceasefire agreements with Rangoon, are united under the banner of the Shan State Peace Council. Both have also formed an alliance with the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, the party that won the most seats in Shan State in 1990.