ASEAN envoys meet Myanmar’s General Min Aung Hlaing to press for a solution

Last updated on June 15th, 2021 at 06:03 am

On Friday, envoys of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations met with Myanmar’s junta chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. For more than a month and a half after a crisis regional summit on the coup in the nation brought signs of progress toward finding a solution however didn’t reach any promising outcomes. 

Adversaries of Myanmar’s junta leader stated on Friday that they had lost confidence in Southeast Asian endeavors to end the tensions faced by the country. 

“We have little trust in ASEAN’s endeavors. All our expectations are gone,” stated Moe Zaw Oo, a deputy foreign minister in the opposition that the junta has pronounced treacherous, “I don’t think they have strong plans for proving their credibility,” he stated for ASEAN, Reuters reported. 

ASEAN (The Association of Southeast Asian Nations) has driven the primary diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the tension and crisis in Myanmar, a country in strife since the tactical Feb. 1 defeat of Aung San Suu Kyi’s government. 

According to Reuters, Myanmar has fallen into more chaos since the coup, with countrywide protests, blacklists that weaken the economy, and a huge number of citizens uprooted due to fighting between the military and ethnic minority rebels and recently formed militia. 

Moreover, around 845 individuals got killed by security forces and more than 4,500 imprisoned, as indicated by activists. However, the Junta government raises questions about those figures. 

The United Nations, China, and the Western nations have supported ASEAN’s mediation, yet some Western forces have additionally forced sanctions on junta members and their financial interests, AP reported. 

Brunei is also helping in negotiating with the Myanmar junta since it holds ASEAN’s chairmanship. ASEAN includes Cambodia, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand.

Recently, an Indonesian representative stated that the delegation’s goal was to seek Myanmar’s approval of an ASEAN special diplomat for the crisis, which is not yet been announced. He added that the decision included both sides.

However, “Any conversations, any meetings about the eventual fate of Myanmar should include people of Myanmar, (their) voices should be heard,” stated representative Sa Sa.