Myanmar Unity Government Says It Must Be Part of Any ASEAN Effort to End Crisis

Myanmar’s neighbors must negotiate with a newly formed national unity government if they want to help resolve the turmoil caused by a February 1 military coup and deny recognition of the junta, a unity government official said.

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

The military has shown little willingness to interact with its neighbors and has no sign of wanting to speak to the government that deposed it.

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

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

Moe Zaw Oo, a deputy foreign minister in a National Unity Government (NGG) established last week, said ASEAN should not recognize the Myanmar junta.

“If ASEAN is considering action on Myanmar matters, I would say it will not succeed unless it negotiates with the NUG, which is popularly supported 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 deposed MPs 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 the pro-democracy protests and ethnic minorities.

The NGG has called for international recognition as the 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 had not been invited to the meeting in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.

Myanmar’s security forces have killed 730 people in their efforts to end protests against the coup, says activist group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which has denounced Western countries and unprecedented criticism from several members of ASEAN despite a block principle not to commit themselves. to mix each other’s affairs. .

EXPLOSIONS, FAULTS

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

“We … are committed to continuing to take action to push for the immediate cessation of 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. It did not refer to the NGG.

Crowds of people were on the streets of various cities in Myanmar on Sunday to show their 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 went off in the capital of Yangon, killing one soldier and injuring several people, the media reported.

There was no claim to responsibility for the blast. The military has accused protesters of carrying out bomb attacks.

The coup has also sparked clashes between the military and ethnic minority insurgents in the North and East who have expressed support for the protesters. Fighting has driven thousands of civilians from their homes in border regions.

The military has defended his coup, claiming that the results of the November election were fraudulent, although the Election Commission rejected such objections.

Suu Kyi is facing several charges, including violating an official nondisclosure agreement that could put her in prison for 14 years. Her lawyers dismiss the charges.

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