UK urges Myanmar military to extend cease-fire, citing virus

Commuters wearing face masks amid concerns over the spread of the coronavirus make their way on bikes in the Hlaing Tharyar township on the outskirts of Yangon on Sunday (May 17). Myanmar has reported 182 confirmed cases of Cvoid-19 with six deaths as of Saturday. - AFP

UNITED NATIONS: The United Kingdom and the United Nations urged the Myanmar’s military to extend its recently announced cease-fire to include the escalating conflict in northern Rakhine and Chin states where civilians are suffering a heavy toll at the time of the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

The UK Mission to the United Nations made the appeal after a closed meeting of the UN Security Council that it called because of growing concern about fighting in the two states between government forces and the Arakan Army, a well-armed guerrilla force representing the Buddhist Rakhine minority.