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Asean at ‘crossroad’ as Myanmar violence escalates
- Fatal violence in junta-controlled Myanmar has loomed over regional three-day summit of Association of Southeast Asian Nations, taking place in Indonesia
- ‘Crisis after crisis is testing our strength as a community. And failure to address them would risk jeopardising our relevance’
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Southeast Asian nations are at a “crossroad”, a senior Indonesian minister warned on Tuesday, as escalating violence in junta-controlled Myanmar loomed over a regional summit.
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Myanmar has been ravaged by deadly violence since a military coup deposed Aung San Suu Kyi’s government more than two years ago and unleashed a bloody crackdown on dissent.
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), long-decried by critics as a toothless talking shop, has led diplomatic attempts to resolve the crisis.
Those efforts have been fruitless, as the junta ignores international criticism and refuses to engage with its opponents, which include ousted lawmakers, anti-coup “People’s Defence Forces” and armed ethnic minority groups.
An air strike on a village in a rebel stronghold last month that reportedly killed about 170 people sparked global condemnation and worsened the junta’s isolation.
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It also fuelled calls for Asean to take tougher action to end the violence or risk being sidelined.
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