ASEAN leaders deplore attack on aid convoy in Myanmar

Southeast Asian leaders condemned an attack on an aid convoy that the regional group had arranged for displaced people in Myanmar calling Wednesday for an immediate stop to violence and for the military government to comply with a peace planLeaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations convened in the picturesque harbor town of Labuan Bajo in southern Indonesia at the start of a twoday summit Their host President Joko Widodo called for unity amid global economic headwinds and majorpower rivalry thats lashing the regionThe 10nation bloc has come under international pressure to effectively address the crisis in Myanmar But ASEAN members appeared to be divided on how to proceed with some recommending to ease punitive actions aimed at isolating Myanmars generals and invite its top diplomat and officials back to the highprofile summit meetings The time for isolation has served its purpose said an internal ASEAN report obtained by The Associated PressOver the weekend a convoy delivering aid to displaced villagers and carrying Indonesian and Singaporean diplomats came under fire in Myanmars eastern Shan state A security team with the convoy returned fire and a vehicle was damaged but there were no injuries staterun television MRTV reported Indonesia which chairs ASEAN this year had arranged for the aid delivery after a longdelayed assessmentWe condemned the attack and underlined that the perpetrators must be held accountable the ASEAN leaders said in a joint statement For the second year Myanmars top general was not invited to the summit Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing led the army in seizing power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 plunging the country into a civil strife and becoming ASEANs gravest crisis since its founding in 1967ASEAN leaders said they were deeply concerned with ongoing violence in Myanmar and urged the immediate cessation of all forms of violence and the use of force to create a conducive environment for the safe and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialoguesDuring foreign ministers talks ahead of the summit however some suggested that the group reengage Myanmars militaryled State Administration Council and bring Myanmar back to ASEAN foreign ministers meeting and summits noting that the time for isolation has served its purpose according to the ASEAN report It did not identify the countries pushing for more leniency toward Myanmar despite international outrage against continuing military attacks in the countryThe suggestion for ASEAN to bring Myanmar back into its fold was noted the report said hinting it did not received full approval from all the ministersThe ministerial talks stressed the Myanmar crisis should not affect ASEANs progress in building a regional community said the report which cited one observation that there would be no nearterm solution to the Myanmar crisisAlso readMyanmar Pardon frees more than 2100 political prisonersThere was also an observation that ASEAN might be experiencing a Myanmar fatigue which might distract ASEAN from larger goals of ASEAN communitybuilding the report said Patience flexibility and creativity are therefore required since there will be no quick fix to the crisisThe report cited without elaborating concerns on rising transnational crimes including human trafficking and illegal drug production originating from Myanmar More alarmingly it said there was a call to all parties to stop the influx of arms and financial funding into Myanmar which leads to an escalation of the conflictMore than 3450 civilians have been killed by security forces since Myanmars military took power and thousands more remain imprisoned said the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners which keeps tallies of casualties and arrests linked to repression by the military governmentIn April a military airstrike killed more than 160 people including many children who were attending a ceremony by opponents of army rule according to witnesses cited by Human Rights Watch The group on Tuesday described the attack in which the military dropped a devastating thermobaric or vacuum bomb as an apparent war crimeIndonesia has considerably eased its fierce criticism of Myanmars military since assuming the rotating role as ASEANs leader Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said her country is taking a nonmegaphone diplomacy approach to encourage dialogue and end violence which are goals of a fivepoint peace plan the leaders negotiated with Myanmars military leader in 2021In a postsummit communique to be issued by Widodo on behalf of the ASEAN leaders they plan to renew a call for selfrestraint in the disputed South China Sea repeating language used in previous ASEAN statementsConcerns were expressed by some ASEAN member states on the land reclamations activities and serious incidents in the area including damage to the marine environment which has eroded trust and confidence increased tensions and may undermine peace security and stability in the region said a draft of the communiqueThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever