Lt-Gen Yawd Serk, leader of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), and President Thein Sein will hold a meeting today in Kengtung township, eastern Shan State, a news source reported.

The RCSS leader Lt-Gen Yawd Serk and his team left Tachilek township for Kengtung township this morning.

“The visit of the President was to attend the opening ceremony of the Laos-Myanmar Friendship Bridge across the Mekong River connecting Palaew/Kenglap sub-township in Tachileik district in eastern Shan State with Xieng Kok in Luang Namtha State in Laos. As RCSS is active in this region, they were invited for a meeting. Details of the meeting have not been provided, said Lt-Col. Sai Ngern, RCSS Peace Team Secretary.

Three ethnic armed groups including the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army, the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) were invited to meet the President, he said.

According to an unconfirmed report, the visit of the President was to strengthen friendship with the ethnic armed groups in the eastern region as the President used to be commander of the Triangle Region, and to urge ethnic armed groups to support the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) because during the summit in Pangsang, the UWSA and NDAA did not agree to the draft NCA signed on 31 March.