Oct 21 (Reuters) – Myanmar’s junta chief-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing met on Tuesday with Japanese philanthropist Yohei Sasakawa in the capital Naypyitaw, state media reported, as international re-engagement with the Southeast Asian nation ramps up after years of diplomatic isolation.
• Sasakawa, the honorary chair of the Nippon Foundation who also serves as Japan’s special envoy for national reconciliation in Myanmar, met with Min Aung Hlaing on Tuesday, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported on Wednesday
• During their talks, the two discussed plans for Sasakawa to provide assistance to “Myanmar’s internal peace process”, as well as support from the foundation to develop the country’s human resources, the newspaper reported
• Myanmar has been in turmoil since a 2021 military coup led by Min Aung Hlaing deposed an elected civilian government, triggering a nationwide civil war that has killed more than 100,000 people and displaced over 3.5 million
• Japan’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the visit by Sasakawa, who has long been involved in mediating between Myanmar’s military and the armed groups opposed to it
• In 2022, Sasakawa helped broker a truce between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army rebel group in Rakhine, according to the Nippon Foundation
• However, the ceasefire has since collapsed, leading to renewed fighting
• The United States has already started to re-engage with Myanmar, with the two countries holding talks in Tokyo this month
• Japan’s acting envoy to Myanmar also met with the Myanmar foreign minister in October in their first known public engagement, which followed a September visit to Naypyitaw by Japanese ruling party lawmaker Hiromichi Watanabe
(Reporting by Reuters Staff; Editing by David Stanway)
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