Myanmar junta says it won’t attend ASEAN summit after ‘regrettable’ snub
Burmese Junta Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin (left), pictured with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, has not been invited to an upcoming ASEAN meeting. | PHOTO: Myanmar Military Information Team/AFP
YANGON — Myanmar’s junta said on Monday it would not attend an upcoming ASEAN summit after the bloc’s “regrettable” exclusion of its diplomacy chief due to a lack of progress in defusing post-coup violence.
ASEAN has invited Myanmar to send a ‘non-political representative’ to this week’s foreign ministers’ meeting, citing lack of progress on a consensus agreed last year to facilitate dialogue with opponents of the coup of state.
The Southeast Asian country has been in turmoil since the military overthrew the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi, with more than 1,500 civilians since killed in the crackdown on anti-junta protests, according to a group of local monitoring.
The decision to exclude junta-appointed diplomat Wunna Maung Lwin from the meeting in Cambodia is “regrettable”, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.
“In this regard, Myanmar’s inability to participate or even nominate an apolitical representative… is inevitable,” he added.
He blamed the exclusion on unnamed member countries who still stick to the “unilateral decision” adopted by the bloc last October, when it banned junta leader Min Aung Hlaing from attending a leaders meeting.
It represented a rare rebuke from ASEAN, long seen as a toothless talk shop but which has sought to lead diplomatic efforts to deal with the Myanmar crisis.
Myanmar is increasingly isolated on the international stage, with Cambodian leader Hun Sen’s visit in January being the first by a foreign leader since the generals took power.
He met with military leader Min Aung Hlaing and the two men discussed the junta’s peace efforts and future plans, as well as the role of the ASEAN special envoy, according to the junta.
But the violence has continued, with anti-junta groups regularly clashing with the military, and the World Bank has warned that Myanmar’s economy likely shrank by almost a fifth last year.
RELATED STORIES
“The crooked diplomacy of the Cambodian Prime Minister is a threat to Asean and Myanmar”
ASEAN to exclude Myanmar foreign minister from meeting, Cambodia says
Cambodia says Myanmar’s apolitical representative is invited to ASEAN meeting
Singapore PM urges Cambodia as ASEAN Chair to engage with all parties on Myanmar
Subscribe to our global national newsletter
Read more
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to access The Philippine Daily Inquirer and over 70 titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am and share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.