Suu Kyi urges Myanmar armed ethnic groups to sign cease-fire

Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, standing by a portrait of her late father and national hero Gen. Aung San and the Panglong monument, delivers a speech during a ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of Union Day Sunday, Feb.12, 2017, in Panglong, Southern Shan State, over 800 kilometers (500 miles) northeast of Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw) (The Associated Press)

A member of of the honor guard stands at attention during a ceremony to mark Myanmar's 70th anniversary of Union Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo) (The Associated Press)

Members of the honor guard march during a ceremony to mark Myanmar's 70th anniversary of Union Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo) (The Associated Press)

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has called on all armed ethnic groups to sign a nationwide ceasefire.

She spoke during Union Day celebrations Sunday in Panglong — the same place where her father, independence hero General Aung San, signed a peace deal with ethnic groups in 1947.

Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy party promised peace would be their top priority despite conflicts between ethnic groups and the military.

In recent months, critics have slammed Suu Kyi for not speaking out against military airstrikes and human rights abuses in ethnic areas. Skirmishes, particularly in the north where Kachin insurgents are fighting the army, have displaced more than 100,000 civilians since 2011 alone.