'Myanmar crisis to be discussed on ASEAN forum'

By Erric Permana

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AA) – Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam have agreed that the situation in Myanmar should be taken up at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) forum, a statement said on Wednesday.

Bilateral relations and the Myanmar issue were at the core of discussions between the foreign ministers of Indonesia and Brunei during the former’s visit to Brunei’s capital Bandar Seri Begawan, according to a statement by Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry.

Retno Marsudi and Erywan Yusof agreed to raise the Myanmar issue for discussion in the ASEAN forum, the statement said.

Brunei Darussalam currently holds the chairmanship of ASEAN.

Marsudi emphasized that ASEAN can help Myanmar get out of the crisis brought about by the military coup of Feb. 1 and continue its democratic transition process, it added.

She said Indonesia has been communicating with ASEAN members and other countries, as well as top UN officials, since the Myanmar crisis erupted.

The Indonesian foreign minister stressed the need to respect the principle of non-interference, prioritize constructive engagement, safety and welfare of the people, and finding solutions.

Assisting in a democratic transition that involves all stakeholders is also one of the ways to help Myanmar, she said.

Myanmar has witnessed mass protests since the military coup, with people rejecting the junta’s claims that the public has supported its move to oust elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Mass protests continued on Wednesday amid growing fears of a violent crackdown by the army.

Tom Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, raised alarm over the movement of troops to the financial hub Yangon and surrounding cities.

Such troop movements could mean they are “on the precipice of the military committing even greater crimes against the people of Myanmar,” he warned in a statement on Tuesday evening.

* Writing by Rhany Chairunissa Rufinaldo from Anadolu Agency's Indonesian language services in Jakarta