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ASEAN leaders likely to meet this month over Myanmar crisis
A planned high-stakes summit is likely to be pushed back to the weekend of April 24, even as the violence continues and international patience grows thin.
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This handout photo taken and released by Dawei Watch on April 6 shows a protester holding a sign during a rally against the military coup in the township of Launglone in Myanmar's Dawei district. (Dawei Watch via AFP/Handout)
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SEAN leaders look set to convene an important crisis meeting on Myanmar on the weekend of April 24, just over a month after President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo called for the summit amid continued violence following the military coup.
The Indonesian leader had called for a high-level meeting on March 19, following an earlier informal meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers that saw an appeal to get the junta to stop the violence and open talks only fall on deaf ears.
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Jokowi’s proposal was supported by powers such as China and Russia, signaling ASEAN’s greater role in coordinating a response to the grim situation that continues to pose a threat to regional stability.
Both countries are veto-wielding members of the United Nations Security Council that previously blocked a call for sanctions against Myanmar’s post-coup regime amid rising tensions and a growing body count.
Last week, Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who leads the monarchy’s chairmanship of ASEAN this year, issued a statement asking officials to prepare for a meeting in Jakarta, where the ASEAN Secretariat is situated.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said officials were looking to convene the meeting on April 24 at the recently renovated compound, although he noted that the final decision lay with the chair.
“There is this indication, but we are still waiting on Brunei’s confirmation,” he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday, adding that the timing could still change until the Sultan announced a final date.
