After an unexpected meeting with the army chief who took power two years ago, former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday encouraged Myanmar’s governing military to take the initiative in finding a way out of the country’s deadly political crisis, including releasing political detainees.
Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military government, and Ban met on Monday in Naypyitaw, the capital of Myanmar. His journey was undertaken on behalf of an organisation of international leaders who work to promote human rights and promote peace.
Ban serves as the organization’s vice-chair and is known as The Elders.
The organisation paraphrased Ban as saying in a statement released on Tuesday, “I came to Myanmar to urge the military to adopt an immediate cessation of violence, and start constructive dialogue among all parties concerned.” He called his presentations “exploratory.”
“I think a way out of the current dilemma may be discovered with patient persistence. The initial actions must be taken by the military, he said.
In order to stop the fighting between the military and the pro-democracy resistance forces after the army overthrew the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021.
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and a United Nations resolution must be put into effect, according to a statement from Ban, who flew from Naypyitaw to Bangkok on Monday night.
As Myanmar is a major source of international concern, Ban was reported as saying that “ASEAN member states and the larger international community need to show unity and resolve in their commitment to peace and democracy in Myanmar.”
Ban also “supported the calls of the international community for the immediate release by the Myanmar military of all prisoners held arbitrarily, for constructive dialogue, and for the utmost restraint from all parties,” according to the statement.
After the coup, the 77-year-old Suu Kyi was detained for 33 years on accusations that were widely believed to have been made up by the military to prevent her from participating actively in politics.
The military denied demands for access to her hearings from U.N. representatives, foreign diplomats, and other interested parties. Her proceedings took place behind closed doors.
Since the army took over, Myanmar has been plagued by violence, preventing Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party from starting a second term in office. Security forces used fatal force to put down the fierce popular opposition to the takeover, which in turn sparked widespread armed resistance.
The pro-democracy opposition is typically referred to as terrorists by the military administration in Myanmar, which has previously rejected international initiatives calling for discussions as an infringement on Myanmar’s sovereignty.
According to the Elders’ statement, Ban issued a warning that the military’s promised elections must only take place in an environment that is free and fair.
Elections under the current circumstances run the risk of escalating violence and polarisation and having the results rejected by Myanmar’s citizens, ASEAN, and the larger international community, it warned.
“And the chances of a negotiated settlement in Myanmar are already slim; this is not the kind of situation where sending in another diplomat is likely to be beneficial.”
Ban has a lengthy relationship with Myanmar. Ban, who served as U.N. secretary-general from 2007 to 2016, travelled to Myanmar to urge the generals in power to let an unhindered flow of relief and specialists from abroad to reach victims of Cyclone Nargis in 2008, which is believed to have killed 134,000 people. He exhorted the armed forces to adopt democracy as well.
Additionally, in 2016, he was present at a peace summit in Naypyitaw that aimed to put an end to decades of armed violence between ethnic minority groups.
Ban asked the U.N. Security Council and Southeast Asian nations to act swiftly and firmly to put an end to the murderous crackdown two months after the military takeover.
He then attempted to travel to Myanmar on a diplomatic mission, hoping to meet with all parties to try and de-escalate the situation and promote discussion, but the Myanmar government informed him that it was not convenient at the time.
