Myanmar president calls for reform, peace

Myanmar President U Thein Sein Friday called on the people of the country to work together for reform and the peace process.

"Taking lessons of past experiences, all people are to make efforts for ending conflicts and for peaceful coexistence of all national races," the president said in his message on the 67th anniversary of the Shan State Day which falls Friday.

Noting that the government has reached a ceasefire deal with the majority of the ethnic armed groups in Shan state, he said that plans are under way to hold political dialogue with a belief that people in the state would play their parts for the success of the dialogue.

He called for building national unity and march towards a peaceful, modern and developed democratic nation through a federal system.

Myanmar, then known as Burma, gained independence from Britain Jan 4, 1948.