ASEAN and the government of Myanmar have agreed to take practical steps to alleviate the situation in Rakhine state, in accordance with a preliminary needs assessment (PNA) conducted in the conflict-torn region.The state was where Myanmar’s military cracked down on insurgencies in 2017 that drove out 730,000 Rohingya Muslims, a minority people in Rakhine who are denied citizenship and live in apartheid-like conditions. Myanmar is currently working with ASEAN to prepare for the safe, dignified and voluntary return of refugees who had fled to Bangladesh.The two sides agreed to pursue “low-hanging fruit” objectives after a meeting of delegates in Naypyidaw on Monday, which was attended by ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi and Adelina Kamal, the executive director of the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Management (AHA Center), as well as ASEAN dele...