Indonesia urges immediate appointment of ASEAN envoy to Myanmar

Indonesia on Wednesday called on the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to appoint a special envoy to Myanmar, more than a month after a regional summit called for an end to violence there.

At their summit in Jakarta on April 24, ASEAN leaders reached a five-point consensus in an attempt to resolve the political crisis triggered by a Feb. 1, military coup in Myanmar.

These include an end to violence, dialogue among parties and mediation by an ASEAN special envoy, and provision of humanitarian aid under the bloc’s coordination.

But more than a month later, no envoy has been named.

“The appointment of a special envoy must be immediately made and communication between all parties must start, including during a visit by the ASEAN chair and secretary-general,’’ Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said at a news conference.

More than 700 civilians have been killed by soldiers in Myanmar during the near-daily anti-coup protests since the coup, which toppled the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, according to rights groups.

The leaders of Indonesia and Malaysia had called for the emergency summit in March after the junta failed to heed demands to end the violence and release political detainees including Suu Kyi.

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ASEAN’s decision to invite Myanmar military ruler Min Aung Hlaing to the Jakarta summit was criticized by civil society groups and the parallel National Unity Government (NUG), which comprises parliamentarians that won Myanmar’s last year’s elections.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.