Special Myanmar summit ‘Asean’s last chance to prove it can end crisis in own neighbourhood’
The Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK has called on Asean leaders to unite to push the Myanmar junta to end horrific abuses against ordinary people and ensure it does not recognise the military as the country's legitimate rulers.
The call comes as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will hold a Special Summit on Myanmar on Saturday in Jakarta to discuss the crisis brought about by the Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) coup in February.
Junta leader and Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who stands credibly accused of being one of the chief architects of the genocide against the Rohingyas, is expected to attend the meeting.
"This Summit is Asean's last chance to prove that it can end a crisis in its own neighbourhood. While the diplomatic efforts of countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore are commendable, it is a stain on the region as a whole that others continue to defend the Tatmadaw," said Tun Khin, president of the Burmese Rohingya Organization UK (BROUK), in a statement today.
"Southeast Asian leaders must stand united and condemn Myanmar's military for the brutal violence it has unleashed against its own people since the coup," he said.
"It is also a travesty that Min Aung Hlaing has been invited to attend while the National Unity Government has been shunned. This is someone who the United Nations and others have accused of genocide. He should face a courtroom for his crimes -- not be given the red-carpet treatment."
The coup by the Tatmadaw on February 1 has pushed Myanmar towards state collapse in less than three months. Security forces have killed more than 700 people, including dozens of children, while thousands of others have been arbitrarily arrested, the statement said.
The country is facing a looming humanitarian crisis as basic services have ground to a halt. Thousands of people have fled into neighbouring India and Thailand, partly because the Tatmadaw has renewed offences against ethnic armed groups in border regions.
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