Burma rebel leader dies aged 79

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Former Burmese rebel leader Bo Mya, of the Karen National Union (KNU), has died after a long illness aged 79.

A KNU spokesman said his death would not affect the group's fight for autonomy. Bo Mya had stepped down as the group's leader in 2004.

Burma's ethnic diversity gave rise to many rebel groups after independence in 1948. The KNU reached an informal truce with the military two years ago.

However, no formal agreement was signed and fighting later resumed.

Aid agencies estimate that as many as 200,000 Karen people have been driven from their homes during decades of war.

A further 120,000 refugees from Burma, mostly Karen, live in camps in Thailand.