Myanmar junta says no Asean envoy visit until stability restored
>>YANGON: Myanmar’s ruling military, which is facing nationwide protests against the coup that removed the elected government three months ago, said on Friday it would not agree to a visit by a Southeast Asian envoy until it could establish stability.
Leaders of countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) reached consensus on five points at a summit on the Myanmar crisis last month, which was attended by the architect of the Feb 1 coup, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
These included an end to violence, dialogue between the military and its opponents, allowing humanitarian help, and permitting a visit by a special Asean envoy.
“Right now, we are prioritising the security and stability of the country,” Major Kaung Htet San, a spokesman for the military council, told a televised briefing.
“Only after we achieve a certain level of security and stability, we will cooperate regarding that envoy.”
The junta would consider suggestions made at the summit if they were helpful to its visions for the country, he added.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the coup, which unleashed anger amongst a public unwilling to tolerate a return to military rule after five decades of economic mismanagement and underdevelopment. Protests and marches have taken place on most days, the latest a big pro-democracy demonstration on Friday in the commercial capital Yangon, and smaller protests in at least 10 other places around the country.
At least 769 people have been killed and nearly 3,700 detained in the military’s crackdown on opponents, according to an advocacy group monitoring the crisis. The junta says it is battling terrorists. On Friday, spokesman Kaung Htet San said more arrests of instigators of violence had been made than were publicly announced.
The April 24 Asean meeting in Jakarta was hailed as a success by those who attended, but analysts and activists remain sceptical that Myanmar’s generals will implement the five-point plan, which had no timeframe nor any mention of releasing political prisoners, including ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Kaung Htet San said Asean leaders had provided positive suggestions to General Min Aung Hlaing, but whether or not they would be followed depended on the situation in Myanmar, and if their ideas were “helpful to our further visions”. The prospect of stability anytime soon in Myanmar appears bleak.