Myanmar government holds peace talks with ethnic groups; The US eases sanctions on Myanmar banks; Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak appointed Selangor BN Chief; Head of Yudhoyono’s part resigns; Five soldiers and two civilians killed in Indonesia firin
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    • Reports noted that Myanmar's government held peace talks with a federation of ethnic groups with the aim to resolve ongoing ethnic conflicts in the country on February 20, 2013. The United Nationalities Federal Council, which includes about a dozen ethnic groups, met Minister of the President's Office Aung Min and other officials in Chiang Mai. The two sides pledged to hold another round of discussions within two months. 1
    In another development, the United States relaxed sanctions on four large banks in Myanmar on February 22, 2013, allowing them to have access to the U.S. financial system. A general license has been issued to the Myanmar Economic Bank, Myanmar Investment and Commercial Bank, Asia Green Development Bank and Ayeyarwady Bank. A general license eases restrictions and lets the banks deal with U.S. citizens and companies, but leaves sanctions laws on the books, giving Washington leverage should Myanmar start to backslide on reforms. 2
    Reports noted that Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will lead Barisan Nasional’s (BN) polls blitzkrieg in Selangor as its newly-appointed election director. On February 23, 2013, the decision was taken in a move that shows the pact’s determination to recapture the country’s richest and most industrialized state. During the meeting the leaders also strategized on the best formula to ensure Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is toppled in Selangor after Election 2013. 3
    According to reports, Anas Urbaningrum, head of the Democratic Party, who was elected in 2010 as general chairman of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's party, announced his resignation on February 23, 2013, in a news conference at the party's headquarters. The announcement came a day after the Indonesia's anti-corruption commission named Urbaningrum as a suspect in a case, accusing him of receiving payments in connection with the construction of a sports complex in West Java province. 4
    In other developments, according to reports, unidentified gunmen shot and killed seven people in two separate attacks against the Indonesian Army in the restive easternmost province of Papua on February 21, 2013. According to reports, the assailants armed with guns and machetes ambushed an Army vehicle, killing three sergeants, one private and two civilians. Earlier in the day, another attack on an Army post in the same area killed an Army private and wounded a lieutenant. It has been reported in the media that the same group of more than 20 gunmen was responsible for both attacks in Tinggi Nambut, a village in the mountainous district of Puncak Jaya. 5

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