Stand firm on coup crisisTomorrow, leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will gather in Jakarta for a summit to discuss the crisis in Myanmar while the world watches on anxiously. The first attempt was on Feb 24 when Thailand brokered a meeting between Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Myanmar's military-appointed Foreign Minister, Wunna Maung Lwin. It was followed by a meeting via video call on March 2 during which Asean called on the coup makers to release Aung San Suu Kyi. China has just hosted a meeting to discuss the crisis with four Asean members, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore in Fujian. It is understood that Asean has limited options in dealing with the crisis given its own non-interference principles.

Source: Bangkok Post April 22, 2021 22:52 UTC