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Asean to meet to discuss possible exclusion of Myanmar leader from summit: Sources

2021-10-14 00:00:00.0 海峡时报-亚洲原网页

KUALA LUMPUR (REUTERS) - South-east Asian foreign ministers will discuss excluding Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing from a coming regional summit at a meeting on Friday (Oct 15), according to sources with knowledge of the matter.

Several members of the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) have strongly criticised the military government’s inaction on a five-point plan that it agreed to with the bloc in April, centring on dialogue among all parties, humanitarian access and an end of hostilities.

Friday’s previously unscheduled, virtual meeting will be hosted by current Asean chair, Brunei, said the sources based in Asean member countries, who included a diplomat and another government official.

Myanmar’s military spokesman Zaw Min Tun did not respond to calls seeking comment on the meeting.

Brunei’s foreign ministry did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

Dato Erywan Yusof, the bloc’s special envoy to Myanmar, last week confirmed some members had been "deep in discussions" about not inviting the coup leader to the Oct 26 - 28 virtual summit.

He said the junta’s lack of commitment to the process was "tantamount to backtracking".

Mr Erywan’s office declined to comment on Friday’s meeting.

Myanmar, with a long history of military dictatorship and international allegations of systematic human rights abuses, has been Asean’s trickiest issue since the group was formed in 1967, testing the limits of its unity and its policy of non-interference.

The United Nations, United States and China, among others, have backed Asean’s efforts to find a diplomatic solution, but pressure on the group has mounted in recent months, with some critics calling for tougher measures to respond to Myanmar’s recalcitrance.

More than 1,100 people have been killed since the coup, according to the United Nations, many during a crackdown by security forces on strikes and protests allied with Aung San Suu Kyi’s ousted government.

Mr Erywan said this week he was in consultations with parties in Myanmar, does not take sides or political positions and looks forward to a visit.

Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tin, in written remarks dated Wednesday, said the envoy would not be allowed to meet Suu Kyi because she is charged with crimes.