ASEAN to discuss Myanmar crisis at summit

SOUTHEAST ASIAN countries will discuss the crisis in Myanmar at a summit in Jakarta on Saturday, the ASEAN bloc’s secretariat said on Tuesday, after the European Union (EU)imposed its toughest sanctions yet on the junta that seized power there on Feb. 1.

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been trying to find a way to guide fellow member Myanmar out of the bloody turmoil that has followed the military coup against an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Romeo Abad Arca, Jr., assistant director of the community relations division of the ASEAN Secretariat, said the summit would take place at its Jakarta headquarters on Saturday under strict health and security protocols due to the pandemic, confirming an earlier advisory.

It remains unclear how many leaders will attend in person though a Thai government official said on Saturday junta chief Min Aung Hlaing would go to Jakarta.

The foreign ministry of Brunei, which holds the ASEAN chair this year, declined to comment on arrangements for the summit on Monday.

Myanmar’s military has shown little willingness to engage with its neighbors and no sign of wanting to talk to members of the government it ousted. —