Myanmar ’s junta leader Min Aung Hlaing on Tuesday signalled he was not emphatically behind Asean’s “five-point consensus” plan to de-escalate the country’s post-coup violence, saying instead that the military would consider the proposals “after stabilising the country”. Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( Asean ) had sought to suggest that the army chief was receptive to their plan, which included calls for a cessation of violence and for a special envoy to be granted access to the country, following crisis talks they held with him on Saturday. In a statement published on the website of Myanmar’s information ministry, the junta said it had conveyed to Asean that it would “give careful consideration to constructive suggestions” made by regional leaders during Saturday’s talks. But it said the priority at the moment was to “maintain law and order” and “restore community peace and tranquillity”. During the meeting, Asean leaders – the heads of government of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, in particular – were forthright in their condemnation of the Myanmar military’s use of violence against unarmed civilians and called for the immediate release of detained civilian leaders. Aung San Suu Kyi , the leader of the democratically elected National League for Democracy who was deposed in the February 1 coup, remains in custody alongside President Win Myint and other elected officials. Asean leaders urge Myanmar military chief to end violence and release political prisoners The junta’s statement implied that Min Aung Hlaing distributed a dossier outlining the military’s point of view during the meeting. “Myanmar also stated that Asean leaders thoroughly review the information booklet circulated at the meeting before comments are made relating to the current political situation in Myanmar,” it said. Another post on the information ministry’s website – also uploaded on Tuesday – said Min Aung Hlaing and other members of the so-called State Administrative Council, as the junta styles itself, had discussed designating the CRPH, a grouping of anti-junta lawmakers in exile or hiding, as a “terrorist organisation under the Anti-Terrorism Law”. The Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) is now known as the National Unity Government (NUG) and is seeking international recognition as the rightful executive authority of Myanmar. The junta’s response to Asean’s proposals followed sharp debate among observers over whether Saturday’s special meeting had resulted in any beneficial outcomes. Proponents of the talks have said it was a step in the right direction, given that it brought Min Aung Hlaing to the negotiating table. But detractors have highlighted the absence of the NUG – who were not invited to the meeting – and slammed Asean’s failure to commit Min Aung Hlaing to the unconditional and immediate release of Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. Asean’s five-point consensus on Myanmar was outlined in a statement issued after the meeting and indicated agreement in the bloc on five issues: ending violence, starting constructive talks among “all parties concerned”, sending aid to Myanmar, appointing a special envoy to facilitate talks, and for the envoy to be allowed visits to the country. Analysis | Is Asean’s Myanmar five-point consensus workable, and what’s next? The NUG’s official Twitter account on Tuesday quoted its Foreign Minister Zin Mar Aung as saying the parallel administration was in no rush to “discuss with someone who has repeatedly committed crimes against humanity in Myanmar”. “In politics, dialogue could be a solution. But it’s difficult for us to talk with someone who won’t admit his human rights violation yet keeps committing violence,” Zin Mar Aung said. On social media, anti-coup protesters have continued to post accounts of violent acts committed by the military against unarmed civilians. Meanwhile, fighting broke out near the Thai border on Tuesday as ethnic minority Karen insurgents attacked a Myanmar army outpost in some of the most intense clashes since the February 1 coup. The Karen National Union (KNU) said it had captured the army camp on the west bank of the Salween river, which forms the border with Thailand. The Myanmar military later hit back against the insurgents with air strikes, the KNU and Thai authorities said. The Karen and other ethnic minority forces based in frontier regions have supported the largely urban-based pro-democracy opponents of the junta. Video posted on social media showed flames and smoke on the forested hillside and KNU forces had captured the outpost, the group’s head of foreign affairs, Saw Taw Nee, told Reuters. The Myanmar military later mounted air strikes, Saw Taw Nee said. There was no word on casualties and 450 Thai villagers were moved away from the border to safety, the Thai military said. Fighting has also flared in the north and west, where the Irrawaddy news site reported 13 government soldiers were killed in clashes in Chin State over the past few days. About 24,000 people are sheltering in the jungle after being displaced in recent weeks by violence near the Thai border, including military air strikes, Karen groups say. Additional reporting by Reuters