ASEAN should continue to boycott the Myanmar junta

Singapore leaders said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should continue to exclude Myanmar’s junta from the conference until it cooperates with the agreed peace program.

Singapore’s Foreign Ministry said in a video call on Friday that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged Cambodia, the new chair of the regional group, to involve all sides in the Myanmar conflict.

Prime Minister Lee told Cambodia’s Hun Sen that ASEAN should continue to invite non-political representatives of Myanmar to the conference, and the decision to change it “needed to be based on new facts.” ..

His remarks follow Hun Sen’s controversial visit to Myanmar last week, where he ends hostilities and talks after last year’s coup.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifdin Abdullah made a similar comment on Thursday, with some ASEAN member states preliminarily with fellow leaders as Hun Sen may be considered a junta. He said he felt he should discuss his trip.

read more: Myanmar has all the elements of a civil war: ASEAN Chair

Comprehensive involvement with junta

Lee told Hun Sen about his engagement with Myanmar, which needs to include “everyone involved,” including the exiled ruling party of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Despite Myanmar’s commitment to peace, Singapore leaders said the military launched further attacks on its political opponents and sentenced Suu Kyi to further imprisonment.

According to the statement, Hun Sen made some suggestions to Lee on how to coordinate the ceasefire in Myanmar and provide humanitarian assistance.

Prime Minister Lee replied that Singapore did not disagree with this idea in principle, but these could be complicated because it was inaccessible to all parties.

Prime Minister Lee said in a statement that all Cambodia’s proposals as ASEAN Presidency should be further discussed among ASEAN Foreign Ministers.

“Prime Minister Lee wanted Cambodia to consider his views and the views of other ASEAN leaders,” he said.

Cambodia postponed the inaugural meeting of the ASEAN Presidency scheduled for next week as some foreign ministers expressed “difficulty” in attending on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Lee also said a few days after Cambodia’s Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said on his Facebook page that Singapore supported Cambodia’s approach to the Myanmar crisis.

read more:
Myanmar’s military junta supports ASEAN peace efforts

Source: Reuters