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In February 2006, the regime began relocating certain ministries—such as the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health—to Naypyidaw while other departments and their staff remained in the former capital.

Ethnic Leaders Discuss Military Cooperation

Amid growing expectations of renewed conflict with Burmese government forces, leaders of several ethnic armed groups, including some with cease-fire agreements with the regime, met in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand to discuss military tactics and consolidate their alliances. The leaders attending the conference were from the Kachin Independence Organization, the Shan State Army–North, the New Mon State Party, the Chin National Front, the Karenni National Progressive Party and the Karen National Union.

China Attacks US-Asean Statement on South China Sea Dispute

Beijing lashed out at plans by the United States and Southeast Asian countries to issue a joint statement calling for a peaceful settlement of territorial disputes in the South China Sea, saying that it would only complicate matters and sharpen differences. China claims sovereignty over the entire sea and all the island groups within it and regards any US involvement in the disputes as unwelcome interference. Four members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations—Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines—are claiming South China Sea island groups, which lie amid rich fishing areas and possibly huge oil and natural gas deposits. The contested islands straddle busy sea lanes that are a crucial conduit for oil and other resources fueling China’s fast-expanding economy.