Speaking in a limited interview with The Jakarta Post a day after the summit, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi revealed new details about how she led, under the instructions of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, a diplomatic charge to ensure that the region could move forward in finding a solution for the violence-ridden country.

ASEAN leaders issued a “five-point consensus” calling for the immediate cessation of violence, the start of dialogue and access to humanitarian assistance for the people of Myanmar, after meeting with junta leader Gen. Min Aung Hlaing despite stark early protests from human rights defenders.

The leaders’ meeting was held nearly three months after Myanmar’s military, led by the senior general, launched a coup against the civilian government on Feb. 1. At the time, ASEAN immediately responded with a statement from Brunei as chair of the group calling for “dialogue, reconciliation and the return to normalcy”.

Since the upheaval, Indonesia has called for two ASEAN meetings to address the situation that was unfolding, the first of which was an informal ASEAN ministerial meeting on March 2 that was eventually held virtually.

However, this format did little to improve the situation, Retno recalled, as waves of protests against the military rulers were still met with a violent crackdown that has killed hundreds of people, including innocent bystanders.

“There was a lot of back and forth but in the end we all agreed that to address the issue, we had to do it in person,” she said on Sunday.

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