Nations plead for Myanmar to end violence

MYANMAR’S Asian neighbours pressed its military regime yesterday to release detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and stop violence against opponents of the February 1 coup.

The calls, during a virtual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), came as Myanmar’s security forces again fired tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse crowds of protesters after weeks of nationwide rallies against the military takeover.

In the northwestern town of Kale, at least three people were reported to be in a critical condition after a crackdown using live ammunition.

Asean foreign ministers held two hours of talks with a representative of the junta just two days after the country’s bloodiest day of protests, when at least 18 people died, some from gunshot wounds.

In a BBC interview earlier yesterday, Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore’s prime minister, called the military’s use of lethal force a “disastrous” move and a “tragic step back” for the country’s democratic transition since its first elections in a quarter century in 2015.

In February, the ruling generals rejected the landslide victory of Ms Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party in a November poll, claiming fraud and pledging to hold fresh elections in a year.

Retno Marsudi, the foreign minister of Indonesia, which has spearheaded regional efforts to resolve the political crisis, said her country was “deeply concerned with the increasing violence” and rising number of casualties. She urged Myanmar to “open its doors” to Asean to help find a solution.

Analysts say the bloc of countries, some of whom have heavily invested in Myanmar, hold more sway over the junta and could help find a form of resolution.