Malaysia has urged for the extension and expansion of a post-earthquake ceasefire in Myanmar due to run out by the end of May, as ongoing fighting calls into question its effectiveness.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan issued the call in a meeting with fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, a day before the leaders’ summit.
The regional bloc has so far led fruitless diplomatic efforts to end Myanmar’s conflict since the military staged a coup and deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. Myanmar’s failure to implement a five-point peace deal reached in April 2021 has led ASEAN to exclude the coup leaders from attending its annual meeting.
“We call on the stakeholders in Myanmar to cease hostilities, and to extend and expand the ceasefire, to facilitate the long and difficult path towards recovery, and ease the suffering of the people of Myanmar,” Mohamad said in his opening remarks.
He proposed that the ceasefire be extended and expanded “beyond the currently affected zones”.
Malaysia currently holds the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN.
Mohamad earlier said the bloc has to step up efforts as Myanmar’s problems had spilled over borders, with a growing number of refugees fleeing to neighbouring ASEAN nations and rising trans-border crime.
Malaysia’s efforts now focus on de-escalation of violence and greater access to humanitarian aid, but he said plans for political dialogue between the conflicting parties would be challenging due to a “trust deficit”.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing-led military government initially declared a truce in the many-sided civil war after a massive earthquake in late March killed nearly 3,800 people and left tens of thousands homeless.
The truce has been extended before, although conflict monitors say fighting has continued, including regular military government air attacks.
In April, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim met Min Aung Hlaing in Bangkok and urged him to respect the truce.
Anwar said after the meeting that ASEAN had expressed “concern” and wanted to slowly build consensus to ensure “fair and free elections” – something analysts have said will be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve.
ASEAN’s longstanding policy of noninterference in the domestic affairs of its member states has also hampered it from helping resolve the conflict.
The United Nations and independent conflict monitors say the military government has continued its deadly campaign of aerial bombardment despite the armistice.
In mid-May, witnesses said, a military air attack hit a school near the earthquake’s epicentre in Sagaing region, killing 22 people, including 20 children.
Numerous anti-coup and ethnic armed groups have made their own pledges to pause hostilities.
However, some residents in eastern Myanmar said they have been displaced as anti-coup forces have also besieged military-held towns on a lucrative trade route towards neighbouring Thailand.
Myanmar’s military government has announced plans to hold an election around the end of the year.
But the opposition “National Unity Government” has urged the public and political parties to boycott any poll organised by the military government.
