Balakrishnan said Singapore, a major investor in Myanmar, was concerned about violent clashes at protests, the arrests of civil servants, internet blackouts and troop deployments and armoured vehicles in city streets. Imposing broad sanctions would hurt the population in Myanmar, where poverty was rife, he said, adding he had conveyed that in discussions with western counterparts, including Germany. The United States and Britain are among countries that have announced or threatened sanctions in response to the Myanmar coup. "We should not embark on widespread generalised indiscriminate sanctions because the people who will suffer most will be the ordinary people in Myanmar," he said. Indonesia and Malaysia have been calling for a special meeting to discuss the situation in Myanmar, an ASEAN member.

Source: bd News24 February 16, 2021 07:07 UTC