Myanmar Coup Leader Set to Appear at ASEAN Summit
General Min Aung Hlaing will appear at the ASEAN summit on April 24 in Jakarta, in his first official trip since ousting power on February 1 (Wikimedia Commons).
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Chairman Min Aung Hlaing of the State Administrative Council (SAC) will be attending the Jakarta ASEAN summit slated for April 24. It will be the general’s first official international trip since assuming power in the February 1 coup.
Myanmar has been grappling with internal unrest since the takeover. So far, security forces have killed 728 people in the ongoing clashes with protestors. In the latest violence, security forces shot and killed two protesters in the town of Mogok, who had gathered to show their support for the formation of the National Unity Government (NUG), on April 17.
The NUG consists of anti-coup politicians, including ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as representatives from the country’s various ethnic groups, and its stated aim is to end military rule and restore democracy in the state. I’s current objective is to attain international recognition as Myanmar’s legitimate government.
In an interview published by the Voice of America’s Burmese-language service, Moe Zaw Oo, a deputy minister of foreign affairs of the NUG, advised ASEAN to not recognize the junta: "If ASEAN is considering action related to Myanmar affairs, I’d like to say it won’t succeed unless it negotiates with the NUG, which is supported by the people and has complete legitimacy.”
Brad Adams, director of the Human Rights Watch’s Asia branch, criticized ASEAN for not making an official statement on the potential replacement of General Min Aung Hlaing with representatives from the NUG. He implores the Association to “play a constructive role in resolving Myanmar’s crisis” and to “stand with Myanmar’s democratically elected government.”
News of Aung Hlaing’s invitation coincided with Myanmar’s military government releasing 23,814 political prisoners on April 17, as a part of Myanmar’s tradition of granting annual New Year’s amnesty to thousands of prisoners. However, according to the activist group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), the SAC has detained more than 3,141 citizens and government officials for their ties to the previous government. The AAPP claims that even as amnesty was being granted to thousands of detainees, the SAC was also seeking arrest warrants against 930 people for their involvement in the protests.