Myanmar’s unity government says it must be part of any ASEAN attempt to end crisis

Myanmar’s neighbors must negotiate with a new government of national unity if they want to help resolve the unrest caused by a February 1 military coup and should not recognize the junta, a unity government official said.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), made up of 10 members, has tried to find a way out of the bloody crisis that has plagued Myanmar since the military ousted an elected government led by democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi. .

The military has not been willing to engage with its neighbors and has no signs of wanting to talk to the government it fired.

But in the first hint of progress for the group, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing will attend an ASEAN summit in Indonesia on April 24, a Thai government official said on Saturday. Read more

It will be the military chief’s first known foreign trip and meeting with foreign leaders since he took power. The junta did not comment on the ASEAN meeting.

Moe Zaw Oo, deputy foreign minister in a national unity government (NUG) set up last week, said ASEAN should not recognize the junta in Myanmar.

“If ASEAN is considering actions related to business in Myanmar, I would like to say that it will only succeed if it negotiates with NUG, which is backed by people and has full legitimacy,” Moe Zaw Oo told Voice of America’s Burmese – language service in an interview published on Sunday.

Pro-democracy politicians, including deputies fired from Suu Kyi’s party, announced the formation of the NUG on Friday. It includes Suu Kyi, who has been in custody since the coup, as well as leaders of pro-democracy and ethnic minority protests.

The NUG sought international recognition as a legitimate authority and requested an invitation to the ASEAN meeting in place of Min Aung Hlaing.

“It is very important that the junta council is not recognized,” Moe Zaw Oo told VOA, adding that the unity government was not invited to the meeting in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta.

Myanmar security forces have killed 730 people in their efforts to end protests against the coup, says the Political Prisoners Assistance Association activist group, drawing condemnation from Western countries and unprecedented criticism from several ASEAN members. despite the bloc’s principle of not interfering in the other’s affairs.

EXPLOSIONS, BROTHERS

In Washington, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga condemned the violence by Myanmar security forces against civilians.

“We … are committed to continuing to take steps to press for an immediate end to the violence, the release of those detained and a speedy return to democracy,” they said in a statement on Friday.

The US Embassy posted the statement on Twitter on Sunday. He was not referring to the NUG.

Crowds took to the streets of several Myanmar cities on Sunday to show support for the NUG.

Security forces shot and killed two protesters in the ruby ​​mining town of Mogok on Saturday, a resident told Reuters.

Several small bombs exploded in the main city of Yangon, killing one soldier and injuring several people, media reported.

There were no liability claims for the explosions. The army accused the protesters of carrying out bombings.

The coup also sparked clashes between the military and ethnic minority minority insurgents in the north and east, who expressed support for the protesters. Fighting has forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes in border regions.

The military defended its coup, claiming that the result of the November elections was fraudulent, although the electoral commission rejected such objections.

Suu Kyi faces various charges, including violating a secret official act that could see her imprisoned for 14 years. Her lawyers reject the allegations.

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