Myanmar military urged not to ‘invite’ foreign intervention, as Asean foreign ministers meet
- Amid continued violence on streets of Myanmar, the bloc’s foreign ministers convened a virtual meeting on Tuesday to discuss situation
- Malaysia urges Myanmar to return to negotiating table, rather than escalate situation
Ahead of the talks, police in Myanmar continued to use violence – including the firing of live bullets – to disperse crowds as protests continued in Yangon and across the country, Reuters reported, citing activists and eye witnesses.
Brunei, the current chair of the 10-nation Asean bloc, released a statement after the meeting expressing concern over the situation in Myanmar, calling on parties to refrain from “instigating” further violence and to seek reconciliation through dialogue.
“In this regard, we expressed Asean’s readiness to assist Myanmar in a positive, peaceful and constructive manner,” the statement said.
There were also responses from individual member states. Malaysia made public Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein’s prepared remarks. He echoed public remarks made before the meeting by Singaporeans officials that talks between the Tatmadaw, as Myanmar’s military is known, and Suu Kyi’s camp were the best chance of resolving the crisis.