Global Courant 2023-04-13 08:33:17
JAKARTA – The president of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said on Thursday that the bloc “strongly condemns” a military airstrike this week on a village in Myanmar that reportedly killed up to 100 people, including civilians.
Tuesday’s attack in the Sagaing area was the deadliest in a recent series of military airstrikes, with children reportedly among the dead, and has drawn global condemnation.
Myanmar has been in chaos since a military coup in early 2021 ended a decade of tentative democratic reforms, with a bloody crackdown on protests sparking an armed crackdown on the junta.
“All forms of violence must end immediately, especially the use of force against civilians,” Indonesia’s president said in a statement.
“This would be the only way to create a conducive environment for an inclusive national dialogue to find a lasting peaceful solution in Myanmar,” the report said.
ASEAN agreed a peace plan with the junta in 2021, but members grew increasingly frustrated with the army’s failure to halt offensives and dialogue with the resistance movement, backed by ethnic minority armies and a national shadow government. unit (NUG), which the junta has declared unstoppable. a “terrorist” movement.
A junta spokesman said Tuesday’s attack targeted a ceremony held by the NGG for their armed People’s Defense Force, adding that the attack was aimed at restoring peace and stability to the region. REUTERS
