Oct 29, 2021
ASEAN says Myanmar ‘part of the family’
Myanmar is ‘part of the ASEAN family’, Brunei has said, after a summit of the Southeast Asian regional group, which barred Myanmar general Min Aung Hlaing for his failure to implement a reconciliation plan agreed at a previous meeting in April.
The military seized power of Myanmar in February, detaining civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and triggering mass protests and economic chaos.
More than 1,200 people have been killed in the crackdown on the anti-coup movement, and unrest has increased in long-restive border areas despite Min Aung Hlaing’s promise to end violence as part of the so-called ‘Five Point Consensus’ he agreed to with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Asked about Myanmar’s future rule following the unprecedented snub to the armed forces chief, Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah stressed the country’s continued membership.
