JAKARTA - Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) must prove they are relevant in helping resolve the crisis in Myanmar, during a visit to the Philippines.
In an interview previously recorded with Philippine news channel ANC broadcast on Friday, PM Anwar Ibrahim said ASEAN, who is leading diplomatic efforts to create peace, must be more assertive to resolve the conflict in Myanmar, noting his country bears 200,000 people displaced from the Land of a Thousand Pagodas.
"We can't see this as just an internal matter, so I have appealed to friends in ASEAN to say, we have to be more assertive," said PM Anwar.
"If necessary, involve the armed forces of this country, because sometimes the military junta does not understand the civilian narrative," he continued.
Previously, Myanmar had been hit by social, political and economic turmoil since the military junta toppled the elected government in 2021.
Human rights groups and the United Nations (UN) have accused Myanmar's military junta of atrocities, as part of a crackdown on its opponents.
While on the other hand, the military junta called its opponents "terrorists" trying to destroy the country.
"We cannot tolerate that cruelty. We have to find a difficult peaceful solution. We have tried everything. ASEAN must prove that ASEAN is still relevant and able to alleviate some problems," said PM Anwar.
It is known that several ASEAN members, who have long adhered to the principles of not interfering with the sovereignty of their members, are increasingly frustrated by the junta's failure to respect the peace plan that has been agreed with the generals shortly after the coup.
Meanwhile, the 10-member bloc has banned Myanmar generals from attending high-level gatherings. Malaysia itself is one of the military junta's harsh critics, calling for tougher action.
On the other hand, Myanmar's military rulers have reacted angrily to what they call interference of ASEAN members
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