MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2023) The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) expressed deep concern on Wednesday over ongoing political violence in Myanmar and called for an immediate cessation of using force and creation of a conducive environment for national dialogues and meeting the country's humanitarian needs.
"We were deeply concerned with ongoing violence in Myanmar and urged the immediate cessation of all forms of violence and the use of force to create a conducive environment for the safe and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogues," the statement, issued at the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo on the Indonesian island of Flores, read.
The document also said that the participants had supported the statement of Indonesian President Joko Widodo as this year's ASEAN chair on May 8 in response to the recent attack on a convoy of the AHA Center and the ASEAN Monitoring Team in Myanmar.
"We condemned the attack and underlined that the perpetrators must be held accountable," the statement said.
An ASEAN's humanitarian convoy was shelled near the town of Taung in Myanmar's Shan State on Sunday, and no casualties or injuries have been reported.
The military came to power in Myanmar in February 2021. The opposition resorted to armed struggle after a brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrations by the military regime and the police. The military arrested government officials, accusing them of rigging the general election, and later appointed a new administration.
