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ASEAN leaders tell Myanmar coup general to end killings

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In this photo released by Indonesian Presidential Palace, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, center, delivers his press statement as, from left to right, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung listen, following ASEAN Leaders' Meeting at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, April 24, 2021. Southeast Asian leaders demanded an immediate end to killings and the release of political detainees in Myanmar in an emergency summit with its top general and coup leader Saturday in the Indonesian capital, Indonesia's president said. (Muchlis Jr, Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)

JAKARTA ā€“ Southeast Asian leaders demanded an immediate end to killings and the release of political detainees in Myanmar in an emergency summit Saturday with its top general and coup leader who, according to Malaysia's prime minister, did not reject them outright.

The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations also told Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing during the two-hour talks in Jakarta that a dialogue between contending parties in Myanmar should immediately start, with the help of ASEAN envoys.

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ā€œThe situation in Myanmar is unacceptable and should not continue. Violence must be stopped, democracy, stability and peace in Myanmar must be returned immediately,ā€ Indonesian President Joko Widodo said during the meeting. ā€œThe interests of the people of Myanmar must always be the priority.ā€

Daily shootings by police and soldiers since the Feb. 1 coup have killed more than 700 mostly peaceful protesters and bystanders, according to several independent tallies.

The messages conveyed to Min Aung Hlaing were unusually blunt and could be seen as a breach of the conservative 10-nation blocā€™s bedrock principle forbidding member states from interfering in each otherā€™s affairs. But Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said that policy should not lead to inaction if a domestic situation ā€œjeopardizes the peace, security, and stability of ASEAN and the wider regionā€ and there is international clamor for resolute action.

ā€œThere is a tremendous expectation on the part of the international community on how ASEAN is addressing the Myanmar issue. The pressure is increasing,ā€ Muhyiddin said. The current ASEAN chair, Brunei Prime Minister Hassanal Bolkiah, and the blocā€™s secretary general should be allowed access to Myanmar to meet contending parties, encourage dialogue and come up with ā€œan honest and unbiased observation,ā€ he said.

Such a political dialogue ā€œcan only take place with the prompt and unconditional release of political detainees," the Malaysian premier said.

A formal statement issued by ASEAN through Brunei after the summit outlined the demands made by the six heads of state and three foreign ministers in more subtle terms. It asked for the ā€œimmediate cessation of violence in Myanmarā€ and urged all parties to ā€œexercise utmost restraint,ā€ but omitted the demand voiced by Widodo and other leaders for the immediate release of political detainees. It said ASEAN would provide humanitarian aid to Myanmar.

In a news conference late Saturday, Muhyiddin said that Min Aung Hlaing told ASEAN leaders that he will find a way to solve the problem and agreed that violence must stop.

ā€œOur proposals would be accepted, the general in his response did not reject (them),ā€ Muhyiddin said, ā€œThis is very encouraging progress.ā€

When asked about Min Aung Hlaingā€™s response to the demand to cease the violence, Muhyiddin said that ASEAN leaders tried not to accuse his side too much because ā€œwe donā€™t care whoā€™s causing it, we just stressed that the violence must stop.ā€

ā€œFor him, itā€™s the other side thatā€™s causing the problems,ā€ said Muhyiddin. ā€œIf thatā€™s the case, we hope that he will find a way to stop it even before the ASEAN representatives go to Myanmar.ā€

Muhyiddin also denied allegations that ASEAN has not done enough to address the crisis.

ā€œWe are concerned about whatā€™s happening and weā€™ve taken steps and made decisions,ā€ he said. ā€œThe best thing is that there is a representative from Myanmar who says they are ready to accept our representative there.ā€

It was the first time Min Aung Hlaing traveled out of Myanmar since the coup, which was followed by the arrests of Aung San Suu Kyi and many other political leaders.

Critics have said ASEANā€™s decision to meet the coup leader was unacceptable and amounted to legitimizing the overthrow and the deadly crackdown that followed. ASEAN states agreed to meet Min Aung Hlaing but did not treat or address him as Myanmarā€™s head of state in the summit, a Southeast Asian diplomat told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for lack of authority to discuss the issue publicly.

The divergent ties of many of ASEAN members to either China or the United States, along with a bedrock policy of non-interference in each otherā€™s affairs and deciding by consensus, has hobbled the blocā€™s ability to rapidly deal with crises.

Amid Western pressure, however, the group has struggled to take a more forceful position on issues but has kept to its non-confrontational approach.

The London-based rights watchdog Amnesty International urged Indonesia and other ASEAN states ahead of the summit to investigate Min Aung Hlaing over ā€œcredible allegations of responsibility for crimes against humanity in Myanmar.ā€ As a state party to a U.N. convention against torture, Indonesia has a legal obligation to prosecute or extradite a suspected perpetrator on its territory, it said.

Indonesian police dispersed dozens of protesters opposing the coup and the junta leaderā€™s visit.

The leaders of Thailand and the Philippines skipped the summit to deal with coronavirus outbreaks back home. Laos also canceled at the last minute. The face-to-face summit is the first by ASEAN leaders in more than a year.

Aside from Myanmar, the regional bloc is made up of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

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Associated Press journalists Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Kiko Rosario and Grant Peck in Bangkok contributed to this report.


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