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JULY 12 ”Myanmar protest.” “Myanmar military coup.” “Is it safe in Myanmar?”
These are just some of the options that pop up when one searches online Asean’s most troubled member state and they are reflective of the questions many have surrounding the South-east Asian nation and its unfolding political and civil society developments.
Activists and human rights defenders have increasingly shown solidarity with the pro-democracy protesters via the Milk Tea Alliance, pushing back against the junta that took over in February.
Meanwhile, Asean has been slow to effect change. Despite strong statements from leaders from Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore as well as a five-point Asean agreement exhorting Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing’s regime to cease the violence and begin peace talks, there has been no tangible progress.
Southeast Asian countries are still worried about China, despite Beijing's latest efforts to boost relations during the first face-to-face meeting of foreign ministers since the pandemic began. Observers said this wariness by Asean nations could cast a shadow over negotiations for the long-awaited code of conduct (COC) for the disputed waters of the South China Sea. A disagreement arose on Monday during a meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister.
BEIJING (Global Times): In a Thursday (June 10) report titled "China and Southeast Asian countries pledge greater vaccine cooperation as US influence wanes," the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) misinterpreted the Special Asean-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in China's Chongqing as a demonstration of Asean's "reliance on China-made vaccines."