Ex-UN head Ban Ki-moon calls for end to Myanmar violence

By GRANT PECK
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Tuesday for an immediate end to violence in Myanmar after a surprise meeting with the military leaders of the troubled Southeast Asian nation.

Ban met Monday in the Myanmar capital Naypyitaw with the leader of the military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, and other top officials. His mission was made on behalf of a group of elder statesmen that engages in peacemaking and human rights initiatives around the world.

Ban is the deputy chair of the group, which calls itself The Elders.

A statement released Tuesday by the group said the trip’s purpose was “to find a path to an end to violence and establishing a peaceful, democratic, inclusive and legitimate government.” It quoted Ban as saying his meetings were “exploratory.”

The statement said Ban, who flew to Bangkok from Naypyitaw Monday night, stressed in his talks the need to implement a peace plan by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations — ASEAN — and a United Nations resolution to stop the violence between the military and the pro-democracy resistance forces following the army’s 2021 ouster of the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

“ASEAN member states and the wider international community need to show unity and resolve in their commitment to peace and democracy in Myanmar, which is a source of serious international concern,” Ban was quoted saying. “With patient determination, I believe a way forward can be found out of the current crisis. The military must take the first steps.”

The statement also said Ban “supported the international community’s calls for the immediate release by the Myanmar military of all arbitrarily detained prisoners, for constructive dialogue, and for utmost restraint from all parties.”

The 77-year-old Suu Kyi was imprisoned for 33 years after the takeover on charges widely seen as being trumped up by the military to keep her from playing an active role in politics. Her trials were held behind closed doors, and the military has turned down requests from U.N. officials, foreign diplomats and other interested parties to see her.

Myanmar has been wracked by violent unrest since the army’s takeover, which prevented Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party from beginning a second term in office. The takeover was met with massive public opposition, which security forces quashed with deadly force, in turn triggering widespread armed resistance.

Myanmar’s military government has spurned most previous outside initiatives calling for negotiations as an infringement on Myanmar’s sovereignty, and generally describes most of the pro-democracy opposition as terrorists.

State television MRTV reported Monday night that Ban and Min Aung Hlaing exchanged views on the situation in Myanmar in a “friendly, positive and open discussion.” It did not report details of the meeting, which it said was also attended by the ministers of defense and foreign affairs.