SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan on Sunday ( Mar 30 ) called for an immediate ceasefire in Myanmar to facilitate aid efforts after a huge earthquake hit the country.
A 7.7-magnitude disaster struck northwest of the city of Sagaing in northern Myanmar on Friday, and even affected Thailand. More than 1, 600 , people were killed in Myanmar, the coup said.
Dr Balakrishnan attended the Special Emergency Meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ) Foreign Ministers on Sunday following the quake. It was convened by ASEAN head Malaysia and conducted almost.
” He called for an immediate and effective ceasefire in Myanmar which would facilitate the efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance and longer term national reconciliation, peace and reconstruction”, said Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( MFA ) in a statement on Sunday afternoon.
On Sunday night, anti-coup soldiers in Myanmar declared a two-week partial peace as the defense began to promote recovery operations and other relief job.
The People’s Defence Force ( PDF) will “implement a two-week pause in offensive military operations, except for defensive actions, in earthquake-affected areas”, said the shadow National Unity Government.
The government in exile said it would” work with the UN and NGOs to ensure stability, vehicles, and the creation of temporary recovery and health camps” in places that it controls.
Myanmar’s government has been fighting a civil war on many fronts since it ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s civil authorities in February 2021. It is opposed by both the PDFs and ethnic armed companies, many of which have been fighting for years.