Jakarta –
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) no longer takes a neutral stance towards Myanmar military junta. ASEAN began not to consider the head of the Myanmar junta because of the chaos that arose after the coup that occurred.
ASEAN did not invite the head of Myanmar’s military junta, General Min Aung Hlaing, to the ASEAN summit to be held this month.
The decision comes as a rare rebuke as concerns grow over the military government’s commitment to plans to defuse the country’s bloody crisis.
ASEAN foreign ministers agreed at an emergency meeting on Friday (15/10) evening that the head of Myanmar’s junta would not be invited to the virtual ASEAN summit on October 26-28. This was conveyed by the Brunei government, which is currently holding the position of chairman of ASEAN.
As reported by the news agency AFP, Saturday (16/10/2021), ASEAN took this firm stance after the junta rejected the request of the ASEAN special envoy for Myanmar, Brunei’s Second Foreign Minister, Erywan Yusof, to meet with all relevant parties, including the ousted civilian government leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
ASEAN in its statement noted “insufficient progress” in implementing the five-point plan agreed by ASEAN leaders in April to end the chaos following the coup in February.
“And several member states have recommended giving Myanmar space to restore its internal affairs and return to normalcy,” ASEAN said in a statement.
“So it was decided to invite non-political representatives from Myanmar to the summit, while noting the objections from Myanmar representatives,” ASEAN added in its statement.
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