Yangon: Myanmar’s shadow government of ousted lawmakers has welcomed a call by Southeast Asian leaders for an end to “military violence” after their crisis talks in Jakarta with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing.
The general attended a high-level summit with leaders from the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to discuss Myanmar’s mounting crisis.
Since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 1 coup, Myanmar has been in an uproar — with near-daily protests and a nationwide boycott of work in all sectors of society staged to demand a return to democracy.
Security forces have deployed live ammunition to quell the uprising, killing more than 740 people in brutal crackdowns, according to local monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).
But the ASEAN meeting produced a consensus that there would be “an immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar”, said a statement released by the bloc Saturday night.
ASEAN will also have a special envoy to “facilitate mediation” between all parties, and this representative will be able to travel to Myanmar.
A spokesperson from a shadow government of ousted lawmakers — many of whom are from Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party — on Saturday welcomed the call for an end to violence in Myanmar as “encouraging news”.
“This is what the National Unity Government has been calling for,” said the NUG’s minister of international cooperation known as Dr Sasa, who is currently in hiding with the rest of his fellow lawmakers.
“We eagerly await the engagement by the (ASEAN) secretary general… we look forward to firm action by ASEAN to follow up its decisions and restore our democracy and freedom for our people and for the region.” The lawmakers of the NUG are currently wanted for high treason by the junta. AFP
