Myanmar's Kachin armed group abducts three

Myanmar's ethnic Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has abducted three people, including two local administration staff, in Myitgyina, the Kachin state's capital, over the weekend, state media reported Tuesday.

The three were among 14 other local administration staff and six civilians who were on an excursion on motorcycles.

Six KIA members stopped the three riders and forced them into a rubber plantation, the report said.

They were later learnt to have been taken to Inkhaibum Mountain in the state.

The local state government is taking measures for their release, according to the report.

The incident came after Myanmar's military authorities launched a mopping-up operation against the KIA in three major areas in the state in April.

The crackdown led to the death of eight government forces and 14 KIA members.

The skirmish happened amid talks between the government and ethnic armed groups.

The two sides have agreed on the first draft of a nationwide ceasefire deal, which is to be presented for detailed discussions at new talks slated for May.