[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] As the Myanmar military coup enters its fourth month, the United States has urged ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) to take swift action.
According to Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 3rd, Wendy Sherman, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, who is on a tour of three Southeast Asian countries, told reporters in Bangkok, Thailand, "We can no longer waste time watching the humanitarian crisis faced by the people of Myanmar," emphasizing the need for prompt action.
The previous day, major foreign media outlets reported, citing multiple diplomatic sources, that Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary-General of ASEAN, and others are scheduled to visit Myanmar this week.
Deputy Secretary Sherman expressed hope that ASEAN would quickly meet with both the Myanmar military and the democratic camp. She also met with representatives of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to discuss humanitarian aid measures for refugees resulting from the Myanmar military coup.
Indonesia, an ASEAN member state, also called for the prompt dispatch of a special envoy to Myanmar to implement the agreements adopted at the special summit.
Min Aung Hlaing, Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar who led the coup, agreed at the ASEAN special summit on April 24 to an immediate cessation of violence and a high-level ASEAN visit to the country, but has not implemented these measures for over a month.
The ASEAN agreement has shown no significant progress since then. Despite the agreement, the military has violently suppressed anti-coup protests, resulting in 842 deaths and 4,468 detentions to date.
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