Malaysia to seek ceasefire extension in Myanmar for quake relief efforts to go on
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People sorting through the rubble of a collapsed building in Mandalay on April 5.
PHOTO: AFP
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PUTRAJAYA – Malaysia, as Asean chair, will seek an extension of the ceasefire announced by Myanmar’s military junta to allow humanitarian efforts in the earthquake-ravaged nation, says Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Datuk Seri Anwar said he would make this appeal when he meets the junta’s leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, in Bangkok on April 17.
“The temporary ceasefire will end on April 22 and I will ask for it to be extended,” he said at the Finance Ministry’s monthly morning assembly on April 14.
Mr Anwar said the meeting will be on the sidelines of his visit to Bangkok to meet former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was appointed as adviser on Asean affairs.
“I will leave for Bangkok shortly after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping,” said Mr Anwar.
“(Thaksin and I) will be discussing matters related to Sungai Golok about dredging and flood mitigation works in southern Thailand.”
On April 2, Myanmar’s ruling military declared a temporary ceasefire in the country’s civil war
Although there are no diplomatic ties between Asean and the junta, Mr Anwar said this meeting is being held on humanitarian grounds.
On a separate matter, he said a multibillion-dollar Asean Energy Grid project is being planned in line with the region’s renewable energy policies.
“Initial agreements have been inked between Vietnam and Malaysia so that energy from Vietnam can be channelled to Malaysia via Laos, Cambodia and Thailand,” said Mr Anwar.
“But the cost has somewhat doubled.
“So for the initial stage, Petronas Malaysia and Petrovietnam will rely on an undersea cable from Vietnam to Kota Baru,” he said.
He added that the plan is to channel energy via a grid system to Singapore, and there are also negotiations for energy supply to Batam, Indonesia.
Mr Anwar said the plan includes an undersea cable running from Sarawak to Tanjung Sedili in Johor, before connecting with Singapore.
He added that there are also plans for the undersea cable to run from Sarawak to Sabah and the southern Philippines.
Mr Anwar said Asean has to work collectively to realise the massive project, which includes attracting foreign investment. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
