Ex-U.N. chief Ban urges Guterres to engage directly with Myanmar army

FILE PHOTO: Head of the International Olympic Committee's ethics commission, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon meets Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, May 15, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/Pool

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Former U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon urged his successor on Monday to engage directly with Myanmar's military to prevent an increase in post-coup violence and said southeast Asian countries should not dismiss the turmoil as an internal issue for Myanmar.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' special envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, has communicated with the military since it ousted an elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, but the army has not allowed her to visit.