ASEAN Leaders Agreed On A Plan To Aid Myanmar

ASEAN agrees to assist Myanmar on the condition of ceasing violence, India welcomes steps to stop the violence. Leaders of South-East Asian countries have agreed on a plan to aid Myanmar.

The condition of this assistance will be that the Myanmar military government must stop the killings of the protesters.

But the head of Myanmar’s military administrator Mandal Junta has not given any clear assurance on stopping the killings of the protesters. India welcomed ASEAN’s move and expressed its support for the thinking of its leaders.

After the meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yasin said that this attitude of the Junta is not in line with our expectations.

Senior general of the Myanmar army Min Aung Lang also attended this ASEAN meeting. Yasin said, “We don’t expect much, but we definitely want violence to stop in Myanmar, kill murders of innocents there.”

At the meeting, ASEAN leaders expected Myanmar’s senior general to stop the security forces’ action against the protesters. Also, free the political prisoners from captivity.

It is notable that since the military coup in Myanmar on February 1, about 750 people have been killed in the security forces’ action so far.

Yasin said, General Lang did not talk of rejecting his expectations but he did not even accept them. The meeting, chaired by the Sultan of Brunei, agreed on five points.

Violence in Myanmar should be stopped and negotiations between all the parties started. A special envoy from ASEAN should also be involved in this dialogue.

This special envoy visits Myanmar and outlines the help that will be provided there. These five points do not include the issue of political prisoners.

But the statement issued by the Sultan of Brunei calls for the release of political prisoners.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsin Lung said, “General Lang has listened to us — has prepared the points of expectation” – these points will prove helpful during discussions among the Board of Administrators in Myanmar.

He did not misunderstand ASEAN expectations. Lee said this process of talks to calm the violence in Myanmar could go on for a long time.