Ex-US diplomat on humanitarian mission meets Myanmar Junta Chief

With COVID-19 deepening hardship for people in Myanmar, former US diplomat Bill Richardson on a humanitarian mission to the country met its junta Chief Min Aung Hlaing.

Richardson, who had served as the US Ambassador to the UN, met with the junta Chief in Naypyidaw and discussed measures to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, Radio Free Asia reported citing a statement from Myanmar's Information Ministry.

The two "mainly talked about providing COVID-19 vaccines [to the people of Myanmar] provided by the UN and several other western nations," Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun informed Radio Free Asia.

The meeting came at a time when the Myanmar military has pounded the Sagaing region with airstrikes for a fifth straight day, displacing 2,000 people of the village.

Meanwhile, the Myanmar military has killed at least 1233 people since February 1 while 7012 people have been arrested, charged or sentenced, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners informed.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the coup on February 1, when the Myanmar military led by Senior General Ming Aung Hlaing overthrew the civilian government and declared a year-long state of emergency.

The coup triggered mass protests and was met by deadly violence.

Escalating the hardship created by the coup, the country has also been hit hard by the pandemic, recording nearly 5,01,000 infections and 19,000 deaths from COVID-19, Radio Free Asia reported.

( With inputs from ANI )