Protesters defend themselves against forces in Kale, Sagaing region, Myanmar March 28, 2021 in this photo taken on March 28, 2021 obtained by REUTERS.
Southeast Asian countries will discuss the crisis in Myanmar at a summit in Jakarta on Saturday, the ASEAN bloc secretariat said Tuesday, but Thailand’s prime minister said several will be represented only by their foreign ministers.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said he would not attend and Thailand would be represented by Deputy Prime Minister Don Pramudwinai, who is also the foreign minister.
“Some other countries will also send their 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 junta chief Min Aung Hlaing would go to Jakarta, although the Myanmar government has not commented. However, this is considered unlikely – in earlier periods of military rule, Myanmar was usually represented at regional meetings by a Prime Minister or Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been trying to find a way to help fellow Myanmar out of the bloody turmoil it plunged into after the military overthrew an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. on February 1.
But there are divergent views among ASEAN members on how to respond to the military’s use of deadly force against civilians, and the group’s policy of consensus and non-interference in each other’s affairs has limited its ability to act.
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore have tried to increase pressure on the junta. Myanmar’s neighbor Thailand has said it is “deeply concerned” about the escalating bloodshed, but due to close military ties and fears of a flood of refugees, it is unlikely to continue. read more
Brunei, the current chairman of the bloc, said after a meeting of the group’s foreign ministers in March that ASEAN expressed concern about the situation in Myanmar and “called on all parties to refrain from inciting further violence”. .
LITTLE WILLNESS
Romeo Jr. Abad Arca, deputy director of the ASEAN Secretariat’s community relations division, said Saturday’s summit will take place at Jakarta headquarters under strict health and safety protocols due to the pandemic, confirming earlier advice.
According to the activist group of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), 738 people have been murdered by Myanmar’s security forces since the coup.
Myanmar’s military has shown little willingness to interact with its neighbors and refuse to speak to members of the government that deposed it, accusing some of them of treason, punishable by death.
Pro-democracy politicians, including impeached MPs from Suu Kyi’s party, announced the formation of a National Unity Government (NUG) on Friday.
It includes Suu Kyi, who has been in custody since the coup, as well as leaders of the pro-democracy protests and ethnic minorities.
The NGG says it is the legitimate authority and has called for international recognition and an invitation to the ASEAN rally in place of the junta leader.
Former UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged his successor to make direct contact with the Myanmar military to prevent increased violence and said Southeast Asian countries should not dismiss the unrest as an internal issue for Myanmar.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ special envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, has communicated with the military since the coup, but the junta has not allowed her to visit. read more
In its strongest response to date, the European Union said on Monday that nine members of the junta’s State Administration Council, which was formed the day after the coup, were the target of travel bans and asset freezes. Information Minister U Chit Naing was also punished.
The decision follows similar measures by the United States. Min Aung Hlaing and Myint Swe, who has been acting president since the coup, were blacklisted by the EU last month. read more
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