BANGKOK: Myanmar's junta and a key opposition group have indicated they will extend a ceasefire to support more aid efforts after a devastating earthquake, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Friday, following rare high-level talks. Myanmar has been in the throes of an expanding conflict since its military ousted an elected government in 2021 and formed the State Administration Council (SAC) to run the country. In late March, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit the country, killing over 3,600 people and creating a humanitarian crisis.
Anwar, who is also the chair of the ASEAN regional bloc, has held talks since Thursday with Myanmar's junta chief Min Aung Hlaing and with the shadow National Unity Government (NUG) that is battling the military, seeking to curb the ongoing conflict to push aid into the country. "There will be a ceasefire and no unnecessary provocations, because otherwise the whole humanitarian exercise would fail," Anwar said in Bangkok. "My initial exchange with both the SAC prime minister and NUG has been very successful," he said.
After the March earthquake, Myanmar's junta announced a 20-day ceasefire on April 2, following a similar move by the NUG, with more than 3.5 million people already displaced by the civil war and an economy in tatters.
The junta, however, has continued military operations in some areas, including air strikes, according to the United Nations and other groups.
In his talks with the NUG, Anwar said he had conveyed that ASEAN would continue dialogue with it and the junta; and humanitarian aid would be provided to required areas, irrespective of who was in control. "We understand that ASEAN, in its role as a regional body, may seek to engage with all actors involved in Myanmar's situation," a NUG spokesperson said. "However, it is crucial that such engagement does not grant legitimacy to the military junta led by Min Aung Hlaing."
The talks led by Anwar match Thailand's approach to the Myanmar crisis, with conflict cessation necessary for humanitarian assistance to work, its foreign ministry spokesman said. "This is a positive first step for ASEAN to engage with Myanmar," Nikorndej Balankura said on Friday. — Reuters
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