Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said such regular updates would give ASEAN member states the necessary insights into the situation on the groundd, which would allow them to collectively provide needed aid or assistance to restore conditions in the state.

To that end, she further said, ASEAN foreign ministers had agreed to funnel humanitarian and development assistance from the regional bloc’s member states collectively and in an inclusive manner by, among others things, utilizing existing mechanisms such as the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance (AHA) Center.

"We are gathered here in Yangon as one ASEAN family that helps one another. I urge all ASEAN members to provide continued and constructive support and help Myanmar overcome the complex situation in Rakhine,” Retno said during the retreat, as quoted by a statement released by the Foreign Ministry on Monday.

Rights groups and Rohingya survivors have described rape, murder and arson at the hands of security forces as main problems that have angered global spectators and galvanized protests in capitals around Southeast Asia.

The Myanmar government, under the de facto leadership of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, has vehemently denies allegations of abuse by security forces.

Concerns over the far-reaching effects of the turmoil in Rakhine have sparked a regional response, as ASEAN looks to prevent a repeat of the 2015 Rohinya refugee crisis that saw tens of thousands of Rohingya become victims of human trafficking in their efforts to flee Myanmar. (ebf)

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