Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is on a surprise visit to military-run Myanmar on behalf of a group of elder statesmen that engages in peace-making and human rights initiatives around the world, a South Korean diplomat said Monday. The arrival of Ban, the deputy chair of The Elders, in the capital Naypyitaw was announced Sunday night by state television MRTV. It said he arrived with a small delegation, and was greeted by the Deputy Ministers for defence and foreign affairs.
“This visit by Mr. Ban Ki Moon was totally scheduled by The Elders. We are not engaged in this process,”? said a South Korean Embassy official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media. “This is not the official visit. It is probably a two-day visit. He will depart this evening.”
Ban is a former South Korean foreign minister. The Elders have not yet released any details about Ban’s visit, and no further information was given by the military government, but it appeared certain to deal with Myanmar’s ongoing political crisis. The group was founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007.
An official in Naypyitaw said Ban was scheduled to have a Monday morning meeting with the country’s top leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, and tour the National Museum. The official also spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to release information.
Myanmar has been wracked by violent unrest since the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021. The army’s takeover prevented Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party from beginning a second term in office.
The takeover was met with massive public opposition, which security forces quashed with deadly force and has since turned into widespread armed resistance.
Outside efforts to mediate peace have meet with no success, even when coming from parties sympathetic to the military government such as the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.