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ASEAN at a 'crossroad' as Myanmar violence escalates
Myanmar has been ravaged by deadly violence since a military coup deposed Aung San Suu Kyi's government more than two years ago and unleashed a bloody crackdown on dissent.
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Coordinating Minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Mahfud (2nd left) arrives at the main venue for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Labuan Bajo on May 9, 2023.
(AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
S
outheast Asian nations are at a "crossroad", a senior minister warned Tuesday, as escalating violence in junta-controlled Myanmar loomed over a regional summit.
Myanmar has been ravaged by deadly violence since a military coup deposed Aung San Suu Kyi's government more than two years ago and unleashed a bloody crackdown on dissent.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has led diplomatic attempts to resolve the crisis.
Those efforts have been fruitless, as the junta ignores international criticism and refuses to engage with its opponents, which include ousted lawmakers, anti-coup "People's Defence Forces" and armed ethnic minority groups.
An air strike on a village in a rebel stronghold last month that reportedly killed about 170 people sparked global condemnation and worsened the junta's isolation.
It also fuelled calls for ASEAN to take tougher action to end the violence or risk being sidelined.
"ASEAN is at a crossroad," Mahfud MD, Coordinating Minister for Politics, Legal and Security, warned Tuesday, the first day of the summit.
