BANGKOK: Former United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged Myanmar's military rulers to take the initiative in finding a way out of the country's violent political crisis, including releasing political detainees.

The call came a day after Ban met with junta leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing and other top officials in Myanmar's capital Naypyitaw. His mission was made on behalf of a group of older statesmen — The Elders, of which he is deputy chairman — involved in peacemaking and human rights initiatives around the world.