ASEAN Summit: Joe Biden condemns Myanmar's military coup, calls for immediate action

US President Joe Biden condemned Myanmar's military coup and "horrific violence" at a meeting with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders on Tuesday, October 26, the White House said in a press release. President Biden raised severe concerns about the military takeover and appalling violence in Myanmar, the statement said, adding that the US President has called on the country's military administration to immediately cease the violence, release those who have been wrongfully jailed, and restore Burma's road to democracy.

After the Military's Chief Min Aung Hlaing was banned in response to the February power grab and subsequent violent crackdown on dissenters, Myanmar's military administration boycotted the ASEAN meeting, chaired by Brunei. The strongly-worded White House statement followed President Biden's public opening remarks to the ASEAN meeting, in which he made a veiled reference to resisting China but did not mention Myanmar. Biden termed the Association of Southeast Asian Nations "vital" and said the US is "dedicated to ASEAN's centrality." 

Biden re-affirms US' commitment to providing aid in combatting COVID-19

President Biden emphasised the importance of the US-ASEAN strategic alliance, noting new measures to deepen high-level US-ASEAN cooperation in health, environment, energy, transportation, and women empowerment and reaffirmed the United States' commitment to ending the COVID-19 pandemic and better preparing for the next one, including making more than 40 million vaccine doses and more than $200 million in emergency health and humanitarian aid available to ASEAN member states to combat COVID-19. He advocated aggressive action to strengthen health systems and health security, to alleviate the climate problem, and to reaffirm the United States' commitment to rebuilding better and driving a green recovery.

ASEAN leaders call for immediate action to end bloodshed in Myanmar

ASEAN leaders had decided to call on Myanmar's junta to keep its commitment to a five-point agreement made at the bloc's April summit, Kyodo News reported. General Min Hlaing was present at the meeting, where they signed a contingency plan to enable mediatory conversations and called for an immediate end to the country's bloodshed.

General Hlaing's inability to stick to the April agreement, which included suspending hostilities, starting mediation discussions, allowing humanitarian relief, and allowing unrestricted admission of special envoys, resulted in Myanmar's expulsion on October 15.

As the humanitarian situation worsened, ASEAN was obliged to abandon its founding policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of bloc members. Since the military coup in Myanmar, the regional organisation has played a key role in attempting to contain the country's growing violence and political turmoil. Security forces are said to have killed 1,200 individuals so far.

(Image: AP)