VOA News
Leaders of the nine active members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations called for an end to the violence in Myanmar on the first day of a two-day summit in Indonesia Wednesday.
“We were deeply concerned with ongoing violence in Myanmar and urged the immediate cessation of all forms of violence and the use of force to create a conducive environment for the safe and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogues,” the leaders said in a statement from the town of Labuan Bajo on the southeastern island of Flores.
Myanmar has been mired in chaos since the military overthrew the democratically-elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.
The coup immediately triggered anti-junta demonstrations across Myanmar that have led to the deaths of more than 3,000 civilians and upwards of 18,000 arrests at the hands of the military, according to an independent monitoring group.
The unrest has also evolved into a deadly rural conflict between the military and several ethnic rebel groups who have been fighting for decades for greater autonomy.
ASEAN has issued a five-point plan aimed at ending the violence in a deal reached with Myanmar’s military rulers.
But the junta has yet to follow through in implementing the plan, which has led to criticism of ASEAN as irrelevant.
The charter of the 10-nation ASEAN – which includes Myanmar – established the group’s principles of consensus and non-interference into its members affairs.
But ASEAN has barred Myanmar’s leaders from attending the summits due to the military’s failure to implement the peace plan.
The ASEAN leaders also denounced Sunday’s attack on a convoy of vehicles carrying diplomats from Indonesia and Singapore and delivering humanitarian aid to displaced residents in Myanmar’s eastern Shan state.
“We condemned the attack and underlined that the perpetrators must be held accountable,” the statement said.
The summit is also expected to issue a code of conduct for nations operating in the South China Sea in response to China’s aggressive actions in the region. – gb
