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ASEAN envoy defends his visit to Myanmar generals
Prak Sokhonn, envoy for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), told reporters in Cambodia he had urged the military to show restraint in its operations and also sought the release of prisoners including Australian economist Sean Turnell.
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This handout from Myanmar's military information team taken and released on March 21, 2022 shows Myanmar's armed forces chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing (right) talking to Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn (left), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) special envoy to Myanmar, in Naypyidaw. (AFP/Handout)
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special Southeast Asian envoy said on Wednesday he understood criticism of his visit to Myanmar for being seen to legitimise its ruling junta, but saw the trip as a positive step towards enforcing a peace process it committed to.
Prak Sokhonn, envoy for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), told reporters in Cambodia he had urged the military to show restraint in its operations and also sought the release of prisoners including Australian economist Sean Turnell.
He said the Myanmar issue was complicated and will take time to resolve and that could not be done during one ASEAN chairmanship.
On Monday, Sokhonn with Myanmar's junta chief on Monday in the regional bloc's latest attempt to jumpstart dialogue between the military and opponents of its coup and bloody crackdown, AFP reported.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has led stalled diplomatic efforts to end the chaos unleashed by last year's putsch, which ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's government and sparked mass protests.
Sokhonn and junta chief Min Aung Hlaing discussed "the situation of protests and violence stemming from political disagreement" and humanitarian cooperation, the junta's information team said in a statement.
The envoy's visit, which ends Wednesday, is aimed at "encouraging political consultations... with all parties concerned," according to an earlier statement from the Cambodian government that did not provide details.
Prak Sokhonn had previously requested to be allowed to meet with members of a "National Unity Government" dominated by lawmakers from Suu Kyi's ousted party that is working to overturn the coup.
The junta -- which has classified members of the shadow government as "terrorists" -- swiftly rebuffed the request.
Last year, the junta refused to grant ASEAN's then special envoy permission to visit Suu Kyi, who has been detained since the coup.
The bloc later barred Min Aung Hlaing from attending a leader's summit, a major snub from the body that has long been seen as a toothless talking shop.
Myanmar is increasingly isolated on the international stage, with Cambodian strongman ruler Hun Sen's January visit the first by any foreign leader since the generals seized power.
More than 1,600 people have been killed and over 12,000 arrested in a military crackdown since the coup, according to a local monitoring group.
