“Our objective is to hold an election and hand power to the winning party,” Brig Gen Zaw Min Tun, spokesman for the ruling council, told the junta’s first news conference since it overthrew Ms Suu Kyi’s government. It also defended its February 1st seizure of power, denying it was a coup even as protesters took to the streets again in support of Ms Suu Kyi and other arrested leaders and China dismissed social media rumours that it had helped with the military’s action. But a meeting of senior Asean officials last Thursday failed to reach an agreement, they said.Īs well as the nine other Asean members, Myanmar's military regime will have to approve the appointment, they said.Myanmar’s military junta promised on Tuesday that it would hold an election and hand over power as police filed an additional charge against toppled former leader Aung San Suu Kyi. "Without the envoy leading the way, it is very difficult" to address the situation in Myanmar, he said.Īsean has been deeply divided on the envoy, and discussed appointing more than one to break the deadlock.įour regional diplomatic sources said Mr Erywan was favoured to become envoy and be assisted by "advisers". The second minister for foreign affairs of Brunei, Mr Erywan Yusof, said last Friday night he hoped a final decision would be made on Monday. The UN and the US have both urged Asean to expedite appointment of the special envoy in recent weeks. The search for a special envoy began in April, when Asean leaders produced a "five-point consensus" to tackle the turmoil in Myanmar. It said its response has met international norms in the face of threats to national security. The military said the number of protesters killed is far lower and members of the armed forces have also died in violence. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group has accused the armed forces of killing 939 people in suppressing dissent since the coup and said at least 6,990 military opponents have been arrested. "At present, the whole country is stable except for some terrorist attacks," Gen Min Aung Hlaing said in his speech. The military authorities have branded their opponents terrorists.Ī surge in coronavirus infections has overwhelmed the country's healthcare system, worsening the humanitarian crisis in the past month.
Since the coup, military authorities have faced protests, strikes that have paralysed public and private sectors, and a resurgence of armed conflicts in the borderlands. Myanmar has been racked by a deadly crackdown on protests, economic collapse and a refugee exodus since the coup. The United Nations, China and the United States, among others, have identified the South-east Asian bloc, whose 10 members include Myanmar, as best placed to lead diplomatic efforts to restore stability in Myanmar.
The State Administration Council - as the junta calls itself - also announced in a separate statement that Gen Min Aung Hlaing had been appointed as the prime minister of the "caretaker government".įoreign ministers from members of Asean are under pressure to appoint a special envoy to Myanmar this week after months of negotiations have failed to find a consensus candidate.Īsean foreign ministers will meet on Monday (Aug 2), when diplomats say they aim to finalise a special envoy tasked with ending violence and promoting dialogue between the junta and its opponents.
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