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Junta’s exclusion ‘difficult but necessary’, Jokowi says
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said the exclusion of Myanmar’s coup maker Min Aung Hlaing was a difficult but necessary decision given the military regime’s reluctance to accept ASEAN’s “helping hand” in resolving its protracted political crisis.
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ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi (left) greets Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo during an ASEAN leaders' meeting at the bloc's secretariat building in Jakarta, on April 24. (Handout/Muchlis Jr/Indonesian Presidential Palace via REUTERS)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said on Tuesday that the exclusion of Myanmar’s coup maker Min Aung Hlaing was a difficult but necessary decision given the military regime’s reluctance to accept ASEAN’s “helping hand” in resolving its protracted political crisis, as the region’s leaders pressed ahead with their three-day virtual summit.
The junta chief adamantly refused to send a go-between to the ASEAN Summit on Tuesday, following an announcement by the bloc’s current chair Brunei Darussalam that it would only invite a “non-political” representative from the country, amid efforts by opposing civilian groups under the National Unity Government (NUG) to gain a seat at the table.
The unprecedented decision follows the junta’s persistent refusal to comply with ASEAN’s demands under the Five Point Consensus drawn up in Jakarta in April, as well as increasing international pressure to take action months after the regime seized power in a coup in February that has since seen more than a thousand people get killed.
Speaking to other ASEAN leaders at the summit, Jokowi said the coup leader’s exclusion would provide an opportunity for Myanmar to resolve its domestic issues and restore democracy through an inclusive process.
He said Indonesia had decided to host the emergency leaders’ meeting on April 24 with the optimistic belief that ASEAN would be able to resolve the affair “as a family”.
In the resulting Five Point Consensus, ASEAN leaders demanded, among other things, that the junta cease all violence and de-escalate tensions, allow for the entry of humanitarian aid and approve a visit by ASEAN’s special envoy to Myanmar to meet with all parties concerned.
“Unfortunately, this family's helping hand was not welcomed by the Myanmar military. The access requested by the ASEAN Special Envoy until the final moments of the summit has not been granted by the Myanmar military,” Jokowi was quoted as saying in a statement.
