Myanmar parties ready to extend quake truce — Malaysia PM

Malaysia's prime minister announced Friday that Myanmar's military junta and a leading opposition group appear ready to extend their ceasefire to allow for more earthquake relief efforts.

Malaysian premier Anwar Ibrahim said outreach talks he held with Myanmar's junta chief Min Aung Hlaing and the prime minister of its toppled shadow government had proved successful.

"There will be a ceasefire and no unnecessary provocations, because otherwise, the whole humanitarian exercise would fail," Anwar told reporters in the Thai capital, Bangkok.

Neither rival side has independently confirmed any extension to the already shaky 20-day truce declared on April 2.

What the Malaysian prime minister said

Anwar, who is currently chair of the regional bloc ASEAN, said the parties were prepared to extend the ceasefire announced by both sides after the March 28 earthquake, which killed more than 3,600 people.

He said the talks had been between the military's State Administrative Council head Min Aung Hlaing and U Mahn Win Khaing Than, prime minister of Myanmar's coup-deposed National Unity Government (NUG).

"My initial exchange with both the SAC prime minister and the NUG has been very successful," Anwar said.

"Our priority is humanitarian efforts. They must have a ceasefire. They must ensure the safety of all the personnel helping out with the humanitarian arrangements," he added.

According to Anwar, the meeting with Min Aung Hlaing in Bangkok focused on Myanmar's humanitarian needs following the magnitude 7.7 earthquake. The Malaysian prime minister also said he had urged an extended peace.

"I told him it's important to cease fire," Anwar said. "It's important to allow for humanitarian efforts to cover all of Myanmar, irrespective of where they are or what political position they take. That assurance was given."

A Myanmar junta statement made a day earlier did not mention of Anwar's appeals for peace. It said the talks had focused on quake relief and repair.

The UN Human Rights Office says Myanmar's military has continued with some airstrikes, despite the truce.

Junta leader finds audience after isolation

Thursday's talks coincided with the junta's amnesty for nearly 4,900 prisoners, marking the Buddhist new year.

However, the NUG and several ethnic guerrilla groups fighting the military criticized the meeting in advance, warning that these contacts could serve to "legitimize" the dictatorship.

During talks with the NUG, which includes remnants of the ousted administration, Anwar said he made clear that ASEAN would keep engaging both the NUG and the junta — while humanitarian aid efforts would carry on.

It is the first time since April 2021 that the leader of the country that chairs ASEAN has met Min Aung Hlaing, who has been banned from the bloc's high-level meetings for years.

The junta leader has been to Bangkok twice since the earthquake, for the most recent meeting and an earlier regional summit attended by leaders such as India's Narendra Modi.

Myanmar's February 2021 military coup, which came after a temporary experiment with democracy, has left the country mired in deep political chaos, exacerbating internal armed conflicts that have dragged on for decades.

Edited by: Zac Crellin