This image shows Zaw Min Tun, spokesman for the State Administration Council (SAC) of Myanmar. (Courtesy of the Ministry of Information, Myanmar)

       BANGKOK (Mainichi) -- A spokesman for Myanmar's military junta has indicated that it is not prepared to allow a special envoy to meet with detained members of the country's National League for Democracy (NLD) including Aung San Suu Kyi, as requested by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

       Speaking to the Mainichi Shimbun in a telephone interview, Zaw Min Tun, a spokesman for the junta, known as the State Administration Council (SAC), said that acceptance of the special envoy agreed upon at a special ASEAN summit in April had been delayed because ASEAN was trying to force the junta to do things it couldn't.

       At the summit, attended by Myanmar Army Gen. Min Aung Hlaing as chairman of the SAC, leaders reached a five-point consensus that included immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, constructive dialogue among all parties concerned, and a visit by the special envoy and delegation to Myanmar to meet with all parties concerned.

       Zaw Min Tun told the Mainichi Shimbun, "We've invited the ASEAN envoy to visit Myanmar," but said that some ASEAN countries and other nations were applying "pressure" on the envoy to visit only if Myanmar allowed him to meet people whose trials were ongoing. The spokesman stressed that the junta would comply with the five points alone, and that allowing the envoy to meet Suu Kyi was outside the agreement.

       The spokesman added that no country would accept meetings between criminal defendants and envoys from abroad. As for the timing of Suu Kyi's release, he said that it "depends on the decision of the court."

       ASEAN stated in a joint communique that the work of the special envoy in Myanmar would include "building trust and confidence with full access to all parties concerned and providing a clear timeline on the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus," and to do this, it is indispensable to meet with Suu Kyi and others and hear their thoughts.

       Myanmar's permanent representative to the United Nations, appointed by the NLD, was terminated by the junta, but remains in his post. Touching on this, Zaw Min Tun said, "The U.N. and other agencies should avoid double standards when they are engaging (in) international affairs. It is not good to treat Myanmar differently from other countries. Myanmar is not the only country that took power from (the) current government (through military intervention); some other countries have similar cases. ... Their decisions have to be the same."

       Regarding Myanmar's relations with Japan, Zaw Min Tun said the countries had a "long history together" and added, "We are willing to maintain the relationship with Japan." He said it was regrettable that official development assistance (ODA) from Japan had in effect been suspended, pointing out that projects moving forward would "directly benefit" the people of Myanmar. He said he wanted authorities and other organizations in Japan to consider the situation on the ground in Myanmar "without bias."

       Meanwhile, Zaw Min Tun noted in the interview that measures to combat the coronavirus had advanced within the country, and said confidently that within the next five years, the military junta aimed for Myanmar to become a "disciplined and multiparty democracy" that would also take on the role of being a "food supply country." However, suppression of democratic forces in the country has continued, and the economy remains in turmoil. ASEAN, to which Myanmar belongs, had hinted that it may exclude Myanmar from a summit, and the military junta is being pressed to respond sincerely.

       According to Myanmar's Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, since the military junta seized power on Feb. 1, over 1,100 citizens have died in the oppression. Clashes between the military and the People's Defence Force (PDF) established by pro-democracy forces are continuing. Zaw Min Tun said that if the PDF attacks stopped, then the junta likewise would "do nothing." However, a spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Oct. 8 cited "alarming reports" of "substantial deployment of heavy weapons and troops by the Myanmar military in areas including Chin state in western Myanmar" and said that the office was "gravely concerned by these developments, particularly given the intensifying attacks by the military."

       Meanwhile, Myanmar faces a tough situation on the diplomatic front. Reuters reported that at an ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting held online on Oct. 4, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Myanmar's ruling military had failed to make significant progress in implementing a peace roadmap or provide feedback on the work of the envoy, and that most of ASEAN's foreign ministers had expressed disappointment at Myanmar.

       ASEAN's special envoy, Erywan Yusof, the second foreign minister of ASEAN chair Brunei, said in a news conference on Oct. 6 that Southeast Asian countries were discussing not inviting Army Gen. Min Aung Hlaing to a summit later in the month.

       (Japanese original by Kana Takagi, Bangkok Bureau)

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