Arakan News Agency
Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Sydney listened to Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Sunday over the Rohingya crisis, but the regional organization indicated it could not intervene.
Some 700,000 members of the Rohingya Muslim minority have fled violence in Arakan, Myanmar, since the Myanmar army launched in August 2017. Aung San Suu Kyi has been criticized internationally for not using her influence to change the behavior of the Buddhist majority.
The humanitarian crisis was one of the key issues on the agenda of a special summit between Australia and the 10 ASEAN member countries.
“We have been discussing the situation in Arakan state for a long time,” Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said. “Aung San Suu Kyi raised the issue at length,” he said, adding that the issue had been discussed “in a very constructive manner.”
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who heads ASEAN this year, said neighboring countries of Myanmar were concerned about the situation but could not intervene. “All ASEAN countries are concerned, but ASEAN can not intervene in a crisis,” he said.
The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has worked in accordance with the principle of consensus and has pledged to refrain from interfering in the affairs of its members. Myanmar soldiers and members of the Buddhist militias have been charged with looting, murder and rape. The United Nations says the crimes “bear signs of genocide.”
During their summit, ASEAN and Australia also discussed the need to militarize the North China Sea, the disputed strategic zone, and work more closely to combat the extremist threat.
The association includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Australia has been a partner in dialogue since 1974.
