Phnom Penh (FN), Jan. 7 – Senior general and chairman of the State Administration Council of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Min Aung Hlaing informed Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen that the Myanmar government had declared a five-month ceasefire with all Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) until the end of February 2022 and decided to further extend it until end of 2022, according to the joint press release seen by Fresh News on Friday.

“The senior general also called on all parties concerned to accept the ceasefire in the interest of the country and people, end all acts of violence and exercise utmost restraint, a move Samdech Techo Prime Minister strongly supported with the view to deescalating tension and enable constructive dialogues among relevant stakeholders to achieve enduring peace and national development.”

To this end, the senior general welcomed the participation of the special envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar to join the ceasefire talks with and among the EAOs. This important step is embodied in the ASEAN five-point consensus.

“To strengthen the efficiency of the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the people of Myanmar, especially to the people who are most in need of help, the two Leaders supported the convening of a meeting among stakeholders such as the special envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar, the Secretary-General of ASEAN, the representative of the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Management Centre (AHA Centre), and the Myanmar National Task Force to Facilitate Provision of Humanitarian Assistance through the AHA Centre, the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) and the relevant United Nations Specialized Agencies.”

The two sides acknowledged the critical importance of setting up mechanisms and proper facilities for the COVID19 vaccination programme along with the provision of humanitarian assistance effectively to the people in need without discrimination, as nothing is more important than saving people’s lives.
=FRESH NEWS