An informal foreign ministers' meeting has begun by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to discuss how to deal with Myanmar, which has suffered numerous casualties, as the conflict between citizens protesting the coup and security officials trying to curb it has intensified.
The focus is on the ability of Member States to come up with a unified message to prevent further deterioration.
In Myanmar, civilian demonstrations protesting a military coup continue throughout the country, while security officials trying to suppress it have repeatedly fired, killing 18 people and causing many injuries just to date. I will.
In response to this situation, ASEAN is holding an informal foreign ministers' meeting online from around 5 pm Japan time with the participation of foreign ministers of member countries.
This is the first time that ASEAN has discussed the situation in Myanmar after the coup d'etat.
According to ASEAN officials, at the conference, Myanmar representatives will explain how to respond to the demonstrators, and member countries will exchange opinions to prevent further deterioration of the situation.
Some ASEAN countries, such as Indonesia and Singapore, have expressed serious concerns over the situation in Myanmar.
The focus is on how far ASEAN can issue a message that does not interfere with each other's internal affairs.
Keizai Doyukai Secretary-General Sakurada "The Government of Japan has a dialogue with the military"
Regarding the increase in casualties due to the shooting of protests against the coup d'etat in Myanmar, Mr. Sakurada, the secretary general of the Keizai Doyukai, said at a regular meeting on the 2nd, "According to local expatriates, demonstrations are held once or twice a week. There is no doubt that a large number of things have happened and the army is taking control with considerable momentum. "
On top of that, given that the U.S. government is trying to increase pressure on the Myanmar military, "Japan is the only developed country that can talk directly with the military. This position is extremely valuable and will impose unilateral sanctions. Instead, I want them to play a strategic role as an intermediary, "he said, saying that the Japanese government should actively engage in dialogue with the military to calm the situation.