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Indonesia foreign minister in close contact with Japan on Myanmar
Retno made the comment at the start of her bilateral meeting with Motegi in Tokyo, where Japanese and Indonesia foreign and defense ministers are set to hold a four-way meeting on Tuesday.
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Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi (right) welcomes Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi pose for photos prior to their meeting in Tokyo on March 29, 2021.
(AFP/David Mareuil)
F
oreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said on Monday she has been in close contact with her Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, to discuss the Myanmar situation and COVID-19 responses.
Retno made the comment at the start of her bilateral meeting with Motegi in Tokyo, where Japanese and Indonesia foreign and defense ministers are set to hold a four-way meeting on Tuesday.
Meanwhile in Moscow, the Kremlin said on Monday that Russia has long-standing and constructive ties with Myanmar, but said that did not signify its approval of tragic events unfolding there.
A visit by Russia's deputy defence minister Alexander Fomin to Myanmar and a pledge to beef up military ties at a time when the junta there have been condemned by Western countries for killing hundreds of civilian protesters has drawn strong criticism from rights activists.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday Russia's stance should not be misconstrued.
"You know we have long-standing and fairly constructive ties with Myanmar," Peskov told reporters as quoted by Reuters. "But that absolutely does not signify our approval of those tragic events which are taking place in the country."
Also on Monday, anti-coup demonstrations continued in Myanmar with the death toll from the ruling military's violent campaign to quell the unrest reaching 459 the previous day, according to a rights group monitoring the situation.
In an area controlled by an ethnic minority group in the eastern state of Kayin, about 3,000 people fled for neighboring Thailand on Sunday following airstrikes by the military, according to local media.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners on Saturday put the death toll at 423, and in its latest report added 36 further deaths, including 13 on Sunday, Kyodo News reported.
On Monday, people took to the streets in Kachin State and Sagaing Region in the country's north, as well as in Dawei in the south, with many making a three-finger salute, the media said. The gesture has come to symbolize protesters' resistance to dictatorship.
On Sunday, about 3,000 residents left Kayin State for Thailand after people were killed or injured in airstrikes on Karen National Union positions, according to the media.
The armed ethnic group has clashed with the country's military before and its members are said to have joined forces with anti-coup protesters.
On Saturday, at least 114 people were reportedly killed by security forces in Myanmar, according to local media outlet Myanmar Now, in the bloodiest violence since the military seized power in a coup in February. Saturday was Armed Forces Day, considered the most important event for the military to showcase its prowess.
The Feb. 1 coup has set off a wave of protests across the country that security forces have sought to quell using deadly force. Since taking control, the military has kept elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other prominent politicians in detention.
