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Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, in a meeting with his Indonesian counterpart on Thursday, Feb. 18, stressed that there should be no violence against unarmed civilians amid the political unrest in Myanmar.

Expressed their concern

According to a press release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he said that in particular, "live rounds should not be fired on unarmed civilians under any circumstances".

A 20-year-old woman participating in a protest on Feb. 9 was shot in the head when Myanmar police opened fire on the protesters. She later succumbed to her injuries.

Vivian further urged all parties involved to exercise utmost restraint and take urgent steps to de-escalate the situation.

Exchanging their views on the ongoing developments in Myanmar, both Vivian and Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister, Retno Marsudi, expressed grave concern over the situation.

They also expressed their hope that all parties involved will maintain dialogue and work towards a peaceful resolution and national reconciliation in Myanmar, including a return to its path of democratic transition.

Asean can play "an important role" in facilitating constructive dialogue in Myanmar

In addition, both ministers agreed that Asean can "play an important role in facilitating constructive dialogue and a return to normalcy and stability in Myanmar", MFA said.

They also discussed possible next steps for the regional grouping to address the situation in Myanmar, including how it could "foster inclusive dialogue with all key stakeholders, including its external partners".

Furthermore, they expressed strong support for a proposed Informal Asean Ministerial Meeting on Myanmar to be convened as soon as possible, in order to facilitate a constructive exchange of views and identify a possible way forward.

Both ministers also took the opportunity to reaffirm the excellent state of bilateral relations and for both countries continue to explore areas of further collaboration amidst the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Marsudi was in Singapore from Feb. 17 to 18, after making a visit to Brunei, which holds the Asean chairmanship currently.

Rallied Asean to help Myanmar

While in Brunei, she rallied other Asean member states to do something about the political unrest that ensued in Myanmar since the military took power in the Feb. 1 coup, and said Indonesia will contribute to finding solutions for the welfare of the Myanmar people.

At an online press conference on Feb. 17, she said that as "an Asean family", it is "the responsibility of all Asean members to respect what is stated in the Asean Charter", CNA reported.

Marsudi added: “Article 1(7) of the Asean Charter reads, To strengthen democracy, enhance good governance and the rule of law, and to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms."

Nevertheless, she said Indonesia will stick to Asean's principle of non-interference.

Asean, as a regional body, can only make decisions on the principle of consensus, which allows any member state to veto a decision.

This has led to criticisms that it has failed to respond promptly or effectively to regional crises, such as the Rohingya humanitarian crisis that resulted in refugees fleeing to the rest of Southeast Asia.

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Top image via Ministry of Foreign Affairs