Indonesia to Focus on Myanmar Elections at Summit

Indonesia will highlight the progress made in Myanmar’s reforms and the implementation of ASEAN blueprints on economic, political, security and sociocultural issues at the 16th ASEAN Summit in Vietnam this week, the Foreign Ministry says.

“Indonesia will address the issue of Myanmar at the summit and voice concerns over the urgency to ensure that the upcoming elections in Myanmar will be inclusive,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said Monday.

Leaders of 10 member states of ASEAN will convene from April 8-9 in Hanoi, while the senior official- and ministerial-level meetings will run from April 5-7.

Asia Forum activist Yuyun Wahyuningrum said Indonesia had to bring the Myanmar elections to the fore as the junta had tried to ban the participation of Aung San Suu Kyi in the first elections there in two decades.

“This is a landmark election that can change the ASEAN image in the international world,” she said.
“Indonesia has to take the lead in pushing for reform in Myanmar. We should not spoil the chance to bring about change in Myanmar.”

Source : The Jakarta Post