Protesters defend themselves from troops in Kale, Sagaing region, Myanmar, March 28, 2021, in this image taken on March 28, 2021, obtained by REUTERS.
Southeast Asian countries will discuss the Myanmar crisis at a summit in Jakarta on Saturday, the ASEAN bloc secretariat said on Tuesday, but the Thai prime minister said more would be represented only by their foreign ministers.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has said he will not attend and that Thailand will be represented by Deputy Prime Minister Don Pramudwinai, who is also foreign minister.
“Some other countries will also send foreign ministers,” Prayuth, a former army chief who led a coup in Thailand in 2014, told reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting.
A Thai government official said on Saturday that Myanmar’s junta leader Min Aung Hlaing would go to Jakarta, although the Myanmar government did not comment. However, this is seen as unlikely – in previous periods of military rule, Myanmar was usually represented at regional meetings by a prime minister or foreign minister.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), made up of 10 members, has tried to find a way to guide Myanmar’s colleagues out of the bloody turmoil in which it descended after the army overthrew an elected government led by Nobel Aung San Suu Kyi, on February 1.
But there were divergent views among ASEAN members on how to react to the use of lethal force by the military against civilians, and the consensus group’s policies and non-interference in the affairs of others limited their ability to act.
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore have tried to step up pressure on the joint. Thailand, a neighbor of Myanmar, said it was “extremely concerned” about the escalation of bloodshed, but close military ties and fears of a flood of refugees mean it is unlikely to move forward. Read more
Brunei, the bloc’s current chairman, said after a meeting of the group’s foreign ministers in March that ASEAN had expressed concern about the situation in Myanmar and called on “all parties to refrain from instigating further violence”.
SMALL DISPOSITION
Romeo Jr. Abad Arca, deputy director of the community relations division of the ASEAN secretariat, said Saturday’s summit will be held at its Jakarta headquarters in accordance with strict health and safety protocols due to the pandemic, confirming a previous recommendation.
According to the activist group of the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners (AAPP), 738 people have been killed by security forces in Myanmar since the coup.
The Myanmar army has shown a reluctance to engage with its neighbors and has no sign of wanting to speak to members of the government it has fired, accusing some of them of treason, which is punishable by death.
Pro-democracy politicians, including deputies fired from Suu Kyi’s party, announced on Friday the formation of a government of national unity (NUG).
It includes Suu Kyi, who has been in custody since the coup, as well as leaders of pro-democracy and ethnic minority protests.
NUG says it is the legitimate authority and has requested international recognition and an invitation to the ASEAN meeting instead of the junta leader.
Former UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged his successor to engage directly with the Myanmar army to prevent escalating violence and said Southeast Asian countries should not dismiss the unrest as an internal problem. for Myanmar.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ special envoy to Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, has communicated with the army since the coup, but the junta did not allow him to visit. Read more
In its strongest response so far, the European Union said on Monday nine members of the junta’s state board, formed the day after the coup, were targeted with travel bans and asset freezes. Information Minister U Chit Naing was also sanctioned.
The decision follows similar measures by the United States. Min Aung Hlaing and Myint Swe, who have been president since the coup, were blacklisted by the EU last month. Read more
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