Myanmar’s military must restore democracy and stop committing violence against citizens, Indonesian president Joko Widodo said after crisis talks with military and coup leader Min Aung Hlaing and Southeast Asian leaders.
The strongly worded statement on Saturday followed a meeting in Jakarta of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which marked the senior Myanmar general’s first foreign trip since security forces staged a coup that ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in early February.
Min Aung Hlaing has become the focus of international outrage over the coup and a subsequent crackdown on dissent that has left more than 700 dead. Myanmar is part of the 10-nation ASEAN.
“The first requested commitment is for the Myanmar military to stop the use of violence and that all parties there at the same time must refrain so that tensions can be reduced,” Widodo said.
“The violence must be stopped and democracy, stability and peace in Myanmar must be restored.”
He also called for the release of political prisoners and for a special envoy to be allowed into the country to “push for dialogue”.
Singapore’s prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, meanwhile, called on the military to release Myanmar’s ousted president, as well as democracy icon Suu Kyi who is under house arrest.
The gathering of the leaders in Jakarta is the first coordinated international effort to ease the crisis in Myanmar, an impoverished country that neighbours China, India and Thailand.
Following the coup, ASEAN, through Brunei, issued a statement that did not expectedly condemn the power grab but urged “the pursuance of dialogue, reconciliation and the return to normalcy in accordance with the will and interests of the people of Myanmar”.
Amid Western pressure, however, the regional group has struggled to take a more forceful position on issues but has kept to its non-confrontational approach.
All ASEAN states agreed to meet Min Aung Hlaing but would not address him as Myanmar’s head of state in the summit, according to Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.
Protests
Approximately two dozen protesters gathered in Jakarta against the coup leader, beating pots and pans and holding signs saying “Democracy for Myanmar” and “We stand against the military coup”.
Several protests were also held in Myanmar’s main cities but there were no immediate reports of violence.
In commercial hub Yangon, some residents staged a mock funeral for the senior general by smashing saffron-coloured clay pots on the ground, symbolic of cutting ties with the dead.
The general’s involvement in the Jakarta talks has angered activists, human rights groups and a shadow government of ousted Myanmar lawmakers, which was not invited to the gathering.
“Meetings that contribute to a solution to the deepening crisis in Myanmar are welcome,” the latter said in a statement.
“(But) meetings that exclude the people of Myanmar but include murderer-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing… are unlikely to be helpful.”
The lawmakers called on the junta to “stop murdering civilians”, release more than 3,000 political prisoners and return power to the country’s democratically elected government.
“The crisis initiated by a murderous and unrepentant Myanmar military has engulfed the country, and will cause severe aftershocks – humanitarian and more – for the entire region,” rights group Amnesty International said ahead of the meeting.
There have also been calls for the regional bloc to expel Myanmar after the coup.
But ASEAN generally takes a hands-off approach to members’ internal affairs.
