Laiza

Laiza (Burmese: လိုင်ဇာ, romanized: Laingza, Chinese: 拉咱; pinyin: Lāzá) is a remote mountainous town in the Kachin State, Myanmar. It lies on the China-Myanmar border, with Nabang, Yingjiang County^[1] located across the border. Laiza is the headquarters of the Kachin Independence Organisation since 2005.

Laiza လိုင်ဇာ
Town
Laiza Location in Myanmar (Burma)
Coordinates: 24°45′36″N 97°33′48″E
Country	Myanmar
Division	Kachin State
District	Myitkyina District
Township	Waingmaw Township
Control	Kachin Independence Army
Time zone	UTC+6.30 (MMT)

History

Laiza was just a village prior to 1994. It became an important town in Kachin State after the Kachin Independence Organization signed a ceasefire agreement with the State Peace and Development Council and moved its headquarters there from Pajau. Leaders representing different ethnic groups in Myanmar attended the Laiza Conference in October 2013, searching for common ground amongst ethnic groups and the Burmese government in preparation for further peace talks and the eventual creation of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement^[2] in 2015.^[3][4]

The Kachin Independence Army currently controls Laiza.^[5]