Myanmar's army chief Min Aung Hlaing is attending a conference of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The conference is scheduled to take place on April 24 in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. This will be the junta's first foreign trip since taking power in a military coup in Myanmar on February 1. Another member of the alliance, Thailand's foreign ministry, has announced that junta chief Min Aung Hlaing will represent Myanmar at the upcoming ASEAN summit. News Reuters.
Thai Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tani Sangrat told Reuters on Saturday that some top leaders of the alliance's 10 countries would attend the ASEAN summit in Jakarta. Among them is Myanmar's army chief Min Aung Hlaing.
However, the junta government has not yet officially announced anything in this regard.
The junta seized power in Myanmar on February 1 in a bloodless coup. State Councilor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Mint were detained. A few days after the coup, anti-junta protests erupted across Myanmar. The protesters' demands are clear, the withdrawal of the military and the release of all political prisoners, including Suu Kyi.
The rights group, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (APP), says more than 700 people, including children, have been killed so far in army and police shootings in more than two months of protests. More than 3,000 protesters, including journalists and artists, have been detained.
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has been sharply criticized around the world for killing people in his own country. Western nations, including the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as ASEAN members, have called for an end to the bloodshed. Despite calls from Myanmar's neighbors to resolve the issue through talks, the junta government has shown little interest.
0 Comments