PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen’s trip to Myanmar on Friday, 7 January, was the first by a foreign leader since the military takeover last year which plunged Myanmar into turmoil.

In his role as the current chairperson of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Prime Minister Hun Sen has met with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, plunging Myanmar into violent conflict and economic disaster.

In their meeting, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has told Prime Minister Hun Sen that Myanmar had extended a ceasefire with all ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) in the country that was originally set to expire at the end of February through the end of the year, according to a joint statement released late Friday by the two leaders.

General Min Aung Hlaing has added in a statement that he “welcomed the participation of the special envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar, Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation , Prak Sokhonn to join the ceasefire talks with and among the EAOs.This important step is embodied in the ASEAN five-point consensus.”

Foreign Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn has disclosed the talks between Prime Minister Hun Sen and Myanmar’s leader have definitely achieved “a very good, positive result with a progressive step forward” on the implementation of peace efforts agreed to by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a regional bloc currently led by Cambodia. This is a progress in the implementation of the five-point consensus on Myanmar crisis reached by the ASEAN leaders in Jakarta, Indonesia in April 2021.

Regarding the efficiency of the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the people of Myanmar, especially to the people who are most in need of help, Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Senior General Min Aung Hlaing have 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 Specialised Agencies.

The two sides have acknowledged the critical importance of setting up mechanisms and proper facilities for the COVID-19 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.

Though, it can’t be help, but Prime Minister Hun Sen’s meeting on Friday with Myanmar’s military chief, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, have triggered protests in Myanmar and criticism abroad. Opponents have said it legitimized the military takeover and broke the generals’ near-total diplomatic isolation.

The military’s seizure of power has led to widespread conflict with civilians forming guerrilla groups and thousands of people driven from their homes by army offensives.

ASEAN’s special envoy to Myanmar, Prak Sokhonn has told reporters in a press conference after returning home with Hun Sen from the 24-hour trip; “If there is anyone who opposes progressing these negotiations and the agreements like this, it is only those people who love war, those people who do not want to see Myanmar return to stability and peace.”

Friday’s joint statement on the talks, which described them as “frank and candid,” said General Min Aung Hlaing who was extending a cease-fire until the end of the year, and that both leaders would push for a meeting of stakeholders on delivering humanitarian aid.

The cease-fire offer is unlikely to be taken seriously by the military’s opponents. Such arrangements are routinely broken in Myanmar. The cease-fire also specifically referred only to long-standing ethnic armed groups, not the new civilian guerrilla units that are currently doing most of the fighting.

Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn has also disclosed that Hun Sen brought up the case of Australian Sean Turnell, a former economic adviser to Suu Kyi who is on trial in Myanmar on charges of violating state secrets. The deputy premier has mentioned that Hun Sen has raised the matter at the request of Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne.

Mr. Prak Sokhonn was quoted as saying ; “Hun Sen has raised the issue with General Min Aung Hlaing directly and the Myanmar’s chief of staff has responded that the case is now before the court but he said that once it is completed, the senior general will consider the case. That means Gen Min Aunga Hlaing has promised that he would get back to Prime Minister Hun Sen with positive news.”

In April, 2021, ASEAN leaders, including Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, have agreed on a five-point roadmap toward a peaceful settlement of the Myanmar crisis, including an end to violence and a political dialogue among all stakeholders.

The Myanmar leader was barred in October from attending ASEAN meetings after the group’s special envoy was prevented from meeting with Suu Kyi and other political detainees, which was one of the stipulations of the agreement.

Myanmar’s military has said Cambodia’s PM Hun Sen would not be allowed to meet with Suu Kyi, who was already serving a two-year sentence at an undisclosed location after being found guilty on December 7 on charges of incitement and breaching coronavirus restrictions. A court in military-ruled Myanmar has postponed verdicts it was expected to make in two cases in the trial of ousted leader to January 10. She is also facing a string of other charges.

The Myanmar military has a history of bloodshed, including a brutal campaign against the Rohingya Muslim minority. Its seizure of power provoked nationwide nonviolent demonstrations, which security forces have quashed with deadly force.

The military has recently engaged in violent suppression of all dissent, disappearances, torture and extrajudicial killings. It has also launched airstrikes and ground offensives against ethnic armed rebel groups.

Security forces have killed about 1,443 civilians, according to a detailed tally by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. As the crackdown has become more severe, an armed resistance has grown inside the country.