Myanmar Spring Chronicle – April 24 Scenes
MoeMaKa, April 25 2023
The deputy chair of The Elders met with the military leader; Battles are taking place in Tigyaing Township and Chin State
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Deputy Chair of The Elders, a group of former statesmen from some countries, came to Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, overnight and met with the military leader. In addition to military leader Min Aung Hlaing, he also met with the joint secretary and ministers of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But he was reportedly not allowed to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007, The Elders is an organization made up of former leaders of world countries, former United Nations secretaries, former leaders with extensive international experience, and individuals with extensive diplomatic experience. It is not a group that represents a country.
There is no doubt that the visit of Ban Ki-moon, the deputy chair of this organization and former UN Secretary-General, to Myanmar is to mediate and help find a solution to the country’s crisis. Ban Ki-moon personally visited Myanmar as the UN Secretary-General during the Nargis outbreak during the previous military regime. After 2010, during the government that came into office in Myanmar after the election, he was a witness to the signing of the NCA during the peace process. He is one of the leaders of a famous world organization that is familiar with Myanmar affairs.
It is said in some news reports that the military council was the first to invite him. It is unclear whether the military council asked The Elders for help in finding a way out of Myanmar’s political and armed conflict. It is not certain, but we can conclude that the military council is looking for a way out of the military conflict and the internationally unrecognized diplomatic crisis.
Another news story for today is that due to the military council’s airstrikes on some villages in Sagaing Division’s Tigyaing Township, and the fighting on the ground, 4 villages, including Tawma, have been destroyed by fire and thousands of villagers have been forced to flee. There are battles going on in these villages, and homes are being burned.
Just like Sagaing, another area that is fighting with the military council on April 24 is Chuncung Village, between Hakha City and Falam Town in Chin State. There are also reports of an airstrike on Chuncung Village and fighting breaking out near Taingen Village on the road between Kalay and Tedim. Chin Defense Forces in Chin State attacked the military council’s convoys in recent weeks, and the junta side also burned down some villages between Falam and Hakha.