Myanmar's junta chief will be excluded from an upcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, the group said Saturday, a rare rebuke as concerns rise over the military government's commitment to defusing a bloody crisis.
Foreign ministers from ASEAN agreed at an emergency meeting late Friday that a "non-political representative" for Myanmar would be invited to the 26-28 October summit, current ASEAN chair Brunei said in a statement.
The decision effectively excluded junta leader Min Aung Hlaing.
The Myanmar junta slammed the decision on Saturday evening, accusing ASEAN of breaching its policy of non-interference in the domestic affairs of member states.
"Myanmar is extremely disappointed and strongly objected (to) the outcomes of the emergency foreign ministers meeting, as the discussions and decision on Myanmar's representation issue was done without consensus and was against the objectives of ASEAN," the Myanmar Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Earlier, junta spokesman brigadier general Zaw Min Tun told the BBC Burmese section that "interference" from non-ASEAN countries had also been a factor.
He seized on talks between United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken and ASEAN special envoy, Brunei's Second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof, ahead of the meeting and also singled out European Union (EU) pressure.
The bloc, widely criticised as a toothless organisation, took a strong stand after the junta rebuffed requests that a special envoy meet with "all stakeholders" in Myanmar – a phrase seen to include ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The statement noted "insufficient progress" in the implementation of a five-point plan agreed by ASEAN leaders in April to end turmoil following a coup in February.
It also said that the situation in Myanmar "was having an impact on regional security as well as the unity, credibility and centrality of ASEAN".
Richard Horsey, Myanmar adviser to Crisis Group, predicted the "non-political" representative would be someone below the level of minister or deputy minister.
Singapore's foreign ministry described the move as a "difficult but necessary decision to uphold ASEAN's credibility".
And independent Myanmar analyst David Mathieson said that "in ASEAN terms this is a real slap in the face".
Thorn In ASEAN's Side
Myanmar, mostly ruled by the military since a 1962 coup, has been a thorn in ASEAN's side since it joined in 1997.
Elections in 2015 overwhelmingly won by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party ushered in the start of civilian rule – but this was cut short by the coup.
ASEAN has been under international pressure to address unrest that erupted after the putsch, including massive protests; renewed clashes between the military and ethnic rebel armies in border regions; and an economy spiralling into freefall.
The bloc has expressed disappointment at a lack of cooperation from the junta, which continues to crack down brutally on dissent. Almost 1,200 civilians have been killed, according to a local monitoring group.
Part of the consensus was to allow a long-delayed visit by a special envoy, Brunei Second Foreign Minister Yusof.
ASEAN has insisted that he meets with all parties concerned, but the junta rejected any proposed meetings with people on trial, among them Suu Kyi, who is facing various charges.
A senior US administration official, commenting on media reports about the exclusion before the official statement was released, said "it seems perfectly appropriate and, in fact, completely justified... for ASEAN to downgrade Burma's participation", using Myanmar's former name.
Member nations had already voiced their disappointment at the path the junta has chosen.
"If there is no real progress then Malaysia's stance will remain: that we will not want the general to be attending the summit. No compromise on that," Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said Friday ahead of the meeting.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in a tweet after the meeting that her country had proposed that Myanmar "should not be represented at the political level" at the summit until it restores "its democracy through an inclusive process".
Aung Myo Min, the human rights minister of a shadow government of ousted Myanmar lawmakers called the NUG, praised the exclusion as "a very strong action" and voiced hope ASEAN would recognise the NUG as Myanmar's legitimate government.
Political activist Minn Khant Kyaw Linn, 23, who organised a protest in Mandalay where the ASEAN flag was burnt in June, said it was time for the bloc to allow NUG representatives to its meetings.
The junta – officially known as the State Administration Council – has promised to hold elections and lift a state of emergency by August 2023.
Suu Kyi’s Lawyer Gagged
The chief lawyer for ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Friday he had been banned by the junta from speaking to journalists, diplomats or international organisations.
The gag order came after he relayed vivid testimony from the country's deposed president Win Myint – describing how he rejected a military offer to resign to save himself during the 1 February coup.
Suu Kyi is on trial on a raft of charges ranging from sedition to breaching coronavirus restrictions, and faces a long jail term if convicted.
But media have been barred from attending court, and the Nobel laureate's legal team have been a key source of information on the hearings.
"Well, they shut my mouth with 144," lawyer Khin Maung Zaw posted on his Facebook page.
The number refers to section 144 of the Myanmar criminal procedure code, which was used to issue the gag.
The lawyer also posted photos of the order, signed by a senior official in Pyinmana township, part of the capital Naypyidaw, which noted he had been talking to the media.
"This communication disturbs or harms some people who are acting in line with the law, and it may cause public unrest," the order said.
"Starting from 14 October, lawyer U Khin Maung Zaw is prohibited from communicating, meeting, and speaking to foreign and local media, foreign diplomats, international organisations... representatives from foreign government, or any other organisations outside directly or indirectly."
The February coup snuffed out Myanmar's brief dalliance with democracy after decades of outright army rule and triggered widespread protests followed by a bloody crackdown that has left nearly 1,200 civilians dead.
The 76-year-old Suu Kyi, a thorn in the generals' side for many years, is scheduled to testify in court for the first time later this month.
Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has justified his power grab by citing alleged electoral fraud in last year's election, which Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won convincingly. – AFP