Myanmar's foreign minister will be barred from attending an ASEAN gathering

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

In place of Myanmar's military-appointed foreign minister, a non-political delegate was invited to a regional ministerial conference later this month, Cambodia announced on Thursday.

Cambodia is the current head of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which surprised everyone by excluding Myanmar's junta from critical meetings late last year due to its inability to follow through on a peace plan agreed upon with the bloc.

 

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had attempted to re-engage with the junta, indicating that he wished to bring the junta's leaders to the 10-member bloc's meetings once more.

However, due to a lack of progress in the peace plan, ASEAN countries were unable to achieve an agreement on inviting Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin, according to Cambodia's Foreign Ministry spokesman Chum Sounry.

"In the meanwhile, rather than keeping the seat unfilled, we encourage Myanmar to be represented at the retreat by a non-political level," Chum Sounry told Reuters, adding that it was up to Myanmar to decide who the representative should be.

 

A spokesman for Myanmar's military regime did not return a call seeking comment.

On the 16th and 17th of February, Cambodia will hold a ministerial meeting.
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According to data published by the United Nations human rights office, Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted an elected government a year ago, with roughly 1,500 civilians killed in the junta's campaign on its opponents.

Troops in the countryside are also fighting on many fronts with ethnic minority forces and pro-democracy organisations who have taken up arms.

 

Cambodia said it was "extremely concerned" about reports of continuous violence and a worsening humanitarian situation in Myanmar in a statement released on Wednesday.

"ASEAN member nations emphasise the need for an immediate end of violence and for all parties to display extreme caution," the statement stated.