San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
General who led takeover talks with leaders
The army general who has ruled Myanmar since leading the overthrow of its civilian government met Saturday in Indonesia with leaders of other Southeast Asian nations who expressed concern about the army’s killing of hundreds of prodemocracy protesters.
It was the first time since the Feb. 1 coup that the army’s commander in chief, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, had ventured outside Myanmar. Critics feared that his presence with heads of state at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting would give him the appearance of legitimacy.
Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo, said the assembled leaders had conveyed to the general that his regime must halt violence by the military, release political prisoners, open the country to humanitarian aid and commit to continuing dialogue.
“The situation in Myanmar is something that is unacceptable and must not continue,” Joko said in a video statement after the meeting. “Violence must be stopped, and democracy, stability and peace in Myanmar must be restored.”
He added that his view reflected a consensus of the 10-nation association known as ASEAN, which had invited Min Aung Hlaing
to the summit of the region’s leaders.
Since seizing power, Myanmar’s military has crushed nationwide protests by arresting elected leaders, shooting civilians in the streets, beating people, and raiding and looting homes.
As of Saturday, soldiers and the police had killed at least 745 people and detained more than 3,300, according to a rights group that has been tracking the mayhem.
Myanmar politicians who have formed what they call a National Unity Government called on Interpol and the Indonesian police this past week to arrest Min Aung Hlaing upon his arrival in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, for crimes against humanity, including the ethnic cleansing campaign that drove more than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims out of the country in 2017.
The National Unity Government, which asserts that it is the legitimate government of Myanmar, also had urged ASEAN to give it a seat at the summit meeting and refuse to meet with Min Aung Hlaing until he halted the killing of civilians.
Some members of ASEAN, including Singapore and Thailand, have close business ties with Myanmar and its military, which owns two of the country’s largest conglomerates.