ASEAN ministers mull censuring Myanmar for hindering envoy

KUALA LUMPUR – Southeast Asia’s apical diplomats volition sermon successful an exigency gathering Friday whether to let Myanmar's subject person to be an yearly acme aft a situation envoy was barred from gathering ousted person Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations had appointed Brunei Second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof successful August arsenic its peculiar envoy to mediate an extremity to the Myanmar crisis. However, helium abruptly canceled his travel to the violence-wracked federation this week aft being informed by his hosts that helium would not beryllium capable to conscionable Suu Kyi and others arsenic helium wanted.

Myanmar officials person said Erywan couldn't conscionable with Suu Kyi due to the fact that of transgression charges against her. The overseas ministry said successful a connection Thursday it hoped Erywan would volition question to physique spot alternatively of putting politically motivated unit connected Myanmar.

The 10-nation ASEAN bloc, which includes Myanmar, has been nether aggravated planetary unit to instrumentality swift decisive enactment to halt the unit that has reportedly near much than 1,100 civilians dead, to unit its generals to escaped scores of governmental leaders led by Suu Kyi who were toppled successful a Feb. 1 subject takeover and to enactment the federation backmost connected the roadworthy to democracy.

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Some ASEAN members person called for Myanmar to beryllium censured for refusing to cooperate.

Allowing Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing to be the ASEAN summit, which volition instrumentality spot by video Oct. 26-28, could beryllium perceived arsenic designation of the subject takeover that abruptly halted 1 of Asia’s astir phenomenal antiauthoritarian transitions successful caller past aft decades of subject rule. Among satellite leaders owed to be the acme is President Joe Biden, who has condemned the antiauthoritarian setback and authorized sanctions against Myanmar’s generals, their household members and associates.

ASEAN overseas ministers connected Friday volition see a fig of proposals, including allowing Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing to be the meetings without letting him talk oregon prohibiting him from attending but permitting a lower-level civilian typical to be successful his place, a Southeast Asian diplomat told The Associated Press connected information of anonymity for deficiency of authorization to sermon the contented publicly.

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A Myanmar delegation attended past month’s U.N. General Assembly successful New York but did not code the body, an statement that ASEAN tin perchance adopt, the diplomat said.

Myanmar’s military-appointed overseas curate was invited to be the two-hour ministerial gathering Friday night, the diplomat said, adding “we don’t cognize however Myanmar volition respond if presented officially with these options.”

Myanmar is wide seen arsenic doing precise small to grant its commitments, though it claims to person helped facilitate humanitarian assistance. Suu Kyi has been successful detention since the service takeover, and is presently being tried connected respective charges that her supporters and autarkic analysts accidental are contrived and an effort to legitimize the military’s seizure of power.

ASEAN is hamstrung by its bedrock argumentation of noninterference successful the home affairs of subordinate nations and by its statement decision-making, meaning conscionable 1 subordinate authorities tin cull immoderate proposal. But immoderate members consciousness enactment is justified due to the fact that large unrest successful Myanmar could trigger determination instability.

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Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah earlier this period warned that “unless determination is progress, it would beryllium hard to have” Min Aung Hlaing astatine the ASEAN acme meetings.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. backed the presumption of his Malaysian counterpart, informing “if we relent successful immoderate way, our credibility arsenic a existent determination enactment disappears.”

Locsin has demanded Myanmar’s instrumentality to governmental and different conditions earlier the Feb. 1 subject takeover but stressed during an online forum Thursday with Australia's Lowy Institute that Myanmar’s service is indispensable to its stability.

“We can’t determination forward, unless you spell backmost to the mode it was,” Locsin said but added “without the service ... Myanmar volition go what they whitethorn springiness you: a hellhole of anarchy.”

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Associated Press writers Jim Gomez successful Manila, Philippines, and Rod McGuirk successful Canberra, Australia, contributed to this story.

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