The unity government in Myanmar says it must be part of any ASEAN effort to end the crisis

Anti-government protesters hold posters to show their support and welcome the new national unity government found by deposed NLD legislators and ask to continue strike from the traditional new year in Myanmar, in Yangon, Myanmar, April 17, 2021. REUTERS / Stringer /

Myanmar’s neighbors must negotiate with a newly formed government of national unity if they want to help resolve the unrest caused by a military coup on February 1 and they should not recognize the junta, a unity authority said.

The ten-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been trying to find a way out of the bloody crisis that has plagued member Myanmar since the military ousted an elected government led by Democratic champion Aung San Suu Kyi .

The military has shown little willingness to talk to its neighbors and no sign of wanting to talk to the government it has expelled.

But in the first advance for the grouping, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing will attend an ASEAN summit in Indonesia on April 24, a Thai government official said on Saturday. read more

This is the military chief’s first known foreign trip and meeting with foreign leaders since he took power. The junta did not comment on the ASEAN meeting.

Moe Zaw Oo, Deputy Foreign Minister in a National Unity Government (NUG) established last week, said ASEAN should not recognize the Myanmar junta.

“If ASEAN is considering actions related to Myanmar affairs, I want to say that it will not succeed unless it negotiates with the NUG, which is supported by the people and has full legitimacy,” Moe Zaw Oo told the Burmese Voice of America said. language service in an interview published Sunday.

Pro-democracy politicians, including ousted MPs from Suu Kyi’s party, announced the founding of the NUG on Friday. These include Suu Kyi, who has been in custody since the coup, as well as leaders of the protests against democracy and ethnic minorities.

The NUG called for international recognition as the legitimate authority and requested an invitation to the ASEAN meeting in place of Min Aung Hlaing.

“It is very important that the junta board is not recognized,” Moe Zaw Oo told VOA. He added that the unity government was not invited to the meeting in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.

Myanmar’s security forces have killed 730 people in their efforts to end the coup, says the activist group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which has drawn condemnation from Western countries and unprecedented criticism from several members of ASEAN, despite a blocking principle of not interfere in each other’s affairs.

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In Washington, US President Joe Biden and visiting Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga have condemned the violence perpetrated by Myanmar security forces against civilians.

“We … commit ourselves to continue the action to undertake the immediate cessation of violence, the release of those detained, and a speedy return to democracy,” they said in a statement on Friday.

The U.S. embassy posted the statement on Twitter on Sunday. It does not refer to the NUG.

Crowds were on the streets in several towns in Myanmar on Sunday to show support for the NUG.

Security forces shot dead two protesters in the ruined mining town of Mogok on Saturday, a resident told Reuters.

Several small bombs went off in the capital Yangon, killing one soldier and wounding several others, media reported.

There was no claim of responsibility for the explosions. The army has accused protesters of carrying out bombings.

The coup also sparked clashes between the military and insurgents of ethnic minorities in the north and east, voicing support for the protesters. Fighting forced thousands of civilians from their homes into border regions.

The military has defended its coup, claiming the outcome of the November election was fraudulent, although the electoral commission rejected such objections.

Suu Kyi is facing various charges, including violating an official secret act that could have her sentenced to 14 years in prison. Her lawyers dismiss the charges.

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