‘Deeply concerned’
Say Asean leaders on Myanmar violence, seek inclusive environment for talks
Southeast Asian leaders meeting in Indonesia yesterday called for an immediate end to violence in military-ruled Myanmar, in an effort to create a window for dialogue and the delivery of humanitarian aid as fighting intensifies.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit was expected to see wrangling over Myanmar's bloody crisis, with patience wearing thin as its junta demonstrates no intent to pursue a peace plan agreed with the regional bloc after it seized power in a 2021 coup.
"We were deeply concerned with ongoing violence in Myanmar and urged the immediate cessation of all forms of violence and the use of force," the leaders said in a joint statement.
Leaders called for "a conducive environment for the safe and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogues."
The meeting in the sleepy Indonesian fishing town is being held as Myanmar's military intensifies attacks and air strikes on resistance forces and ethnic minority rebels as it tries to consolidate power ahead of a planned election.
It also comes days after unknown assailants shot at a convoy of regional diplomats in Myanmar that was delivering supplies to some of the more than 1 million people displaced by conflict.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, the current Asean chair, earlier called for the bloc to speak up as one about the challenges it faces in the region. "Will Asean only be silent or will Asean be able to become the driver or peace or growth?", he said.
Asean, which has a policy of non-interference in its members affairs, has become increasingly assertive with Myanmar's junta over its failure to implement a five-point peace "consensus" that its top general agreed to with Asean a few months after his coup sparked chaos.
"Malaysia is disappointed that there continues to be a lack of meaningful and real progress in the implementation of the 5PC," Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on the sidelines of the summit.
Myanmar's junta leaders are currently barred from attending high-level meetings until they execute the peace plan, which includes ceasing hostilities.