ASEAN top diplomats condemn violence against civilians in Myanmar

By Anadolu staff

Top diplomats of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Saturday condemned the killing of civilians in Myanmar and urged an immediate halt to "indiscriminate violence."

In a joint communique of the summit in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, the foreign ministers of ASEAN said that they had discussed the developments in Myanmar during their meeting and expressed deep concern over the escalation of conflicts and humanitarian situation.

"We strongly condemned the continued acts of violence against civilians and public facilities and called for immediate cessation, and urged all parties involved to take concrete action to immediately halt indiscriminate violence, denounce any escalation, exercise utmost restraint, ensure the protection and safety of all civilians and create a conducive environment for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogue," it said.

They also reaffirmed their united position that the ASEAN Leaders’ Five-Point Consensus (5PC) remains the main reference for addressing the political crisis in Myanmar.

Soon after the February 2021 coup launched by Myanmar’s military, ASEAN issued the 5PC plan, which included normalizing the political situation in the Southeast Asian nation.

In February 2021, Myanmar’s army overthrew the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and seized power in a military coup.

The country fell into deep social, political and economic turmoil as the army conducted brutal campaigns against perceived opponents.

Since October, fighting between the military and armed opposition groups has intensified and spread to most of Myanmar.

Over 2,470 airstrikes were carried out, resulting in over 1,300 deaths since the February 2021 coup.

More than 2.8 million people in the war-torn country are displaced, and at least 18 million require humanitarian aid, according to the UN agencies.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid