Protesters defend themselves from troops in Kale, Sagaing region, Myanmar, on March 28, 2021 in this image taken on March 28, 2021 obtained by REUTERS.
Southeast Asian countries will discuss the crisis in Myanmar on Saturday at a summit in Jakarta, the ASEAN bloc secretariat said on Tuesday, but the Thai prime minister said several will only be represented by their foreign ministers Exteriors.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said he would not attend and that Thailand would be represented by Deputy Prime Minister Don Pramudwinai, who is also Foreign Minister.
“Some other countries will also send their foreign ministers,” Prayuth, a former army chief who led a coup in Thailand in 2014 after a weekly cabinet meeting, told reporters.
A Thai government official said on Saturday that the head of Myanmar’s board, Min Aung Hlaing, would go to Jakarta, although the Myanmar government has not made any comments. However, this is unlikely: in previous periods of military rule, Myanmar used to be represented at regional meetings by a prime minister or foreign minister.
The ten-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been trying to find a way to steer Myanmar’s comrades out of the bloody turmoil that fell after the military overthrew an elected, government-led government. by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, on 1 February.
But there have been divergent views among ASEAN members on how to respond to the army’s use of lethal force against civilians and consensus group policies and non-interference in the affairs of others have limited their ability to act.
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore have tried to increase pressure on the Board. Thailand, a neighbor of Myanmar, has said it is “very concerned” about rising bloodshed, but close military ties and fears of a flood of refugees make it unlikely to go any further. Read more
Brunei, the current chairman of the bloc, said after a meeting of the group’s foreign ministers in March that ASEAN had expressed concern over the situation in Myanmar and called on “all parties to abstain. to initiate more violence “.
LITTLE DISPOSITION
Romeo Jr., Abbot Arca, deputy director of the community relations division of the ASEAN secretariat, said Saturday’s summit will take place at its Jakarta headquarters under strict health and safety protocols due to the pandemic, confirming a previous notice.
According to the activist group of the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners (AAPP), Myanmar security forces have killed 738 people since the coup.
Myanmar’s army has shown little willingness to engage with its neighbors and has no sign of wanting to speak to members of the government it ousted, accusing some of them of treason, which is punishable by death.
Pro-democracy politicians, including ousted members of parliament from Suu Kyi’s party, announced on Friday the formation of a Government of National Unity (NUG).
It includes Suu Kyi, who has been detained since the coup, as well as leaders of pro-democracy protests and ethnic minorities.
The NUG says it is the legitimate authority and has asked for international recognition and an invitation to the ASEAN meeting instead of the board leader.
Former UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged his successor to engage directly with the Myanmar army to prevent the escalation of violence and said Southeast Asian countries should not rule out turbulence as an internal issue for Myanmar.
UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy Antonio Guterres to Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, has been in contact with the military since the coup, but the board 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 state’s Board of Directors, formed the day after the coup, had been the target of travel bans and freezing. of assets. Information Minister U Chit Naing was also sanctioned.
The decision follows similar measures by the United States. Min Aung Hlaing and Myint Swe, who has been president since the coup, were blacklisted by the EU last month. Read more
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