YANGON: Myanmar’s junta on Tuesday ( Apr 22 ) prolonged a ceasefire declared after last month’s devastating earthquake to Apr 30, after aid groups and international mediators called for an extension to ease relief efforts.
The junta – which seized power in a 2021 revolution sparking a many-sided legal war – said it would stop attacking its various military competitors following the magnitude-7. 7 collapse which has killed more than 3,700.
Conflict screens and residents in conflict zones say fighting continued on both sides during the 20-day peace, declared to lead aid distribution in Myanmar’s main belt and due to expire at 5. 30pm GMT ( Wednesday, 1. 30am, Singapore day ).
The peace was extended to Apr 30, “aiming to maintain the restoration and recovery operation with momentum”, the junta data group said in a statement.
But the government said it would never dare to react if another armed groups launched assaults- as it said when it announced the peace.
The Mar 28 disaster has left more than 60,000 people living in camp camps and pushed two million people into” important need of assistance and protection” according to the United Nations.
Despite ongoing fighting, humanitarian organizations and local forces have called for the delay on warfare to be prolonged as support work continue into their third year.
On Thursday, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing flew to Bangkok to meet Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for rare backroom talks with the chair of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ) bloc.
Anwar, whose land now holds the rotating chair of ASEAN, said he had even spoken to Myanmar’s criticism” National Unity Government” which promised a similar peace after the vibration.
Both sides agreed” they would do whatever is necessary to avoid any extension of the fighting”, Anwar told reporters after the meeting.