Asean foreign ministers to meet Myanmar military on Tuesday, Singapore confirms

Name: Myanmar police kill at least 18 in deadliest anti-coup protests yet, UN Human Rights Office says
Uploaded: 2021-03-01T08:48:04.000Z
Duration: 3 min 56 s
Description: Myanmar police kill at least 18 in deadliest anti-coup protests yet, UN Human Rights Office says

Top diplomat Vivian Balakrishnan says the 10-member bloc can still play a role in facilitating ‘a return to normalcy and stability in Myanmar’

On the US-China rivalry, he says it is ‘inevitable that we will feel that type of great power competition from time to time’ given Singapore’s ‘deep friendship’ with both

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Protesters try to extinguish tear gas canisters during a demonstration against the military coup and detention of civilian leaders in Myanmar. Photo: DPA

Dewey Simin Singapore

Published: 4:48pm, 1 Mar 2021Updated: 6:51pm, 1 Mar 2021

Singapore’s top diplomat Vivian Balakrishnan has confirmed that a special meeting of Asean foreign ministers and the Myanmar military will be convened on Tuesday to discuss the political crisis in the Southeast Asian nation.

While countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations operate on the principles of consensus and non-interference, Balakrishnan on Monday said the 10-member bloc could still play a “constructive role in facilitating, hopefully, a return to normalcy and stability in Myanmar”.

“We believe in engagement and dialogue in good faith with all relevant stakeholders. A special Asean foreign ministers’ meeting will be convened by video conference tomorrow and where we will listen to the representatives of the Myanmar military authorities,” Balakrishnan told lawmakers in the island nation’s parliament as part of the debate on the foreign ministry’s upcoming budget.

He also called on parties in Myanmar to engage in discussions to achieve national reconciliation and to “get back to the path of democratic transition”. But this, Balakrishnan said, could only begin if political detainees including civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint were “immediately released”.

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Myanmar police kill at least 18 in deadliest anti-coup protests yet, UN Human Rights Office says

The Singapore foreign minister’s comments came a day after the Myanmar police fired on protesters around the country, killing at least 18 people and wounding more than 30. It was the bloodiest day of protests since its generals seized power in a February 1 coup and detained elected leaders, including Nobel laureate Suu Kyi.

Balakrishnan on Monday said he was “appalled” by the violence, reiterating earlier comments that the use of lethal weapons against unarmed civilians was “inexcusable in all circumstances”.