ASEAN ministers mull censuring Myanmar for hindering envoy

KUALA LUMPUR – Southeast Asia’s apical diplomats volition sermon successful an exigency gathering Friday whether to let Myanmar's subject person to be an yearly acme aft a situation envoy was barred from gathering ousted person Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations had appointed Brunei Second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof successful August arsenic its peculiar envoy to mediate an extremity to the Myanmar crisis. However, helium abruptly canceled his travel to the violence-wracked federation this week aft being informed by his hosts that helium would not beryllium capable to conscionable Suu Kyi and others arsenic helium wanted.

Myanmar officials person said Erywan couldn’t conscionable with Suu Kyi due to the fact that of transgression charges against her.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said Friday helium was informed that Erywan whitethorn present purpose to sojourn Myanmar adjacent Monday, up of the Oct. 26-28 ASEAN acme meetings.

“This evening, we volition beryllium looking astatine the details of the projected visit. If determination is nary existent progress, past Malaysia’s stance volition remain, that we volition not privation the wide to beryllium attending the summit. No compromise connected that," helium said.

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The 10-nation ASEAN bloc has been nether aggravated planetary unit to instrumentality decisive enactment to unit subordinate authorities Myanmar to escaped scores of governmental figures, including erstwhile person Suu Kyi, who was toppled successful a Feb. 1 subject takeover, and to enactment the federation backmost connected the roadworthy to democracy. Violence successful Myanmar has reportedly near much than 1,100 civilians dormant since the generals overthrew Suu Kyi's government.

Allowing Myanmar's Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing to be the ASEAN summit, which volition instrumentality spot by video, could beryllium perceived arsenic designation of the subject takeover that abruptly halted 1 of Asia’s astir phenomenal antiauthoritarian transitions successful caller past aft decades of subject rule. Among satellite leaders owed to be the acme is President Joe Biden, who has condemned the antiauthoritarian setback and authorized sanctions against Myanmar’s generals, their household members and associates.

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ASEAN overseas ministers Friday volition see a fig of proposals, including allowing Min Aung Hlaing to be the meetings without letting him speak, oregon prohibit him from attending but permitting a lower-level civilian typical to be successful his place, a Southeast Asian diplomat told The Associated Press. The authoritative spoke connected information of anonymity for deficiency of authorization to sermon the contented publicly.

A Myanmar delegation attended past month’s U.N. General Assembly successful New York but did not code the body, an statement that ASEAN tin perchance adopt, the diplomat said.

Saifuddin said ASEAN doesn't “downgrade a member's practice to the summit" and volition look astatine different options. With Myanmar’s military-appointed overseas curate indicating his attendance astatine the two-hour ministerial gathering Friday night, Saifuddin voiced hopes the bloc tin find ways to flooded their differences.

Myanmar is wide seen arsenic doing precise small to grant its commitments, though it claims to person helped facilitate humanitarian assistance. Suu Kyi has been successful detention since the service takeover, and is presently being tried connected respective charges that her supporters and autarkic analysts accidental are contrived and an effort to legitimize the military’s seizure of power.

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ASEAN is hamstrung by its bedrock argumentation of noninterference successful the home affairs of subordinate nations and by its statement decision-making, meaning conscionable 1 subordinate authorities tin cull immoderate proposal. But immoderate members consciousness enactment is justified due to the fact that large unrest successful Myanmar could trigger determination instability.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. has backed the presumption of his Malaysian counterpart, informing “if we relent successful immoderate way, our credibility arsenic a existent determination enactment disappears.”

Locsin has demanded Myanmar’s instrumentality to its governmental bid earlier the Feb. 1 subject takeover but stressed during an online forum Thursday with Australia's Lowy Institute that Myanmar’s service is indispensable to its stability.

“We can’t determination forward, unless you spell backmost to the mode it was,” Locsin said but added “without the service ... Myanmar volition go what they whitethorn springiness you: a hellhole of anarchy.”

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Associated Press writers Jim Gomez successful Manila, Philippines, and Rod McGuirk successful Canberra, Australia, contributed to this story.

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