BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Oct 26 (Reuters) – The Southeast Asian leaders’ summit kicked off on Tuesday without a Myanmar representative, after its junta leader was barred for failing to comply with a regional peace agreement and the military in power they will refuse to send another representative of lower rank.
Neither Brunei, who holds the presidency of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), nor the bloc’s secretary general mentioned the absence in the opening remarks of the virtual meeting.
On October 15, ASEAN decided to exclude the chief of the board, Min Aung Hlaing, who overthrew the civilian government on February 1, for failing to launch the peace process that it agreed with ASEAN in April to end the the bloody crisis of the country.
The move was an unusual step by a regional group known for its customary non-interference policy.
Brunei had said that the bloc would invite a non-political representative from Myanmar (the former Burma), but there was no confirmation of this before the opening of the summit.
Myanmar’s board said late on Monday that it would only accept that its head of state or ministerial representative attend the summit, indicating that his seat would be empty.
(Information from Ain Bandial in Bandar Seri Begawan; additional information from Tom Allart; writing by Kay Johnson; editing by Michael Perry, translated by Tomás Cobos)