YANGON (Agencies): Foreign ministers of the South=East Asian regional bloc Asean has condemned violence against civilians in military-ruled Myanmar and urged all parties to end hostilities and follow an agreed peace plan.
In a joint communique issued two days after their closed-doors retreat in Laos, the Association of South-East Asian Nations also welcomed unspecified practical measures to reduce tension in the South China Sea and prevent accidents and miscalculations.
It described North Korea's missile tests as worrisome developments and urged peaceful resolutions to the conflicts in Ukraine, as well as Gaza, expressing concern over the dire humanitarian situation and "alarming casualties" there.
But it was the increasingly violent civil war in Asean member state Myanmar is one of the other issues that dominated talks during the meeting.
Thailand has said the group gave their support for it to take a broader role as one of Myanmar’s immediate neighbors.
Nikorndej Balankura, spokesperson of Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters recently that more dialogue mechanisms have been proposed to include more stakeholders, especially countries that share borders with Myanmar.
He however noted that those proposals have just been submitted to Laos, which currently chairs Asean and is in charge of recommending them directly to Myanmar to seek its approval.
The army in Myanmar ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and suppressed widespread nonviolent protests that sought a return to democratic rule, leading to increasing violence and a humanitarian crisis.
Asean has been pushing a "five-point consensus” for peace, but the military leadership in Myanmar has so far ignored the plan, raising questions about the bloc’s efficiency and credibility.
The peace plan calls for the immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, a dialogue among all concerned parties, mediation by an Asean special envoy, provision of humanitarian aid through Asean channels, and a visit to Myanmar by the special envoy to meet all concerned parties.
