ASEAN leaders meet in Laos as Thai PM urges Myanmar engagement ahead of election

9/10/2024 17:28

        Southeast Asian leaders met in Laos on Wednesday for a summit expected to seek ways address the worsening civil war in Myanmar, with Thailand calling for heightened engagement ahead of a planned election by the country's embattled military rulers.
        
        Chaos has prevailed in Myanmar since a 2021 military coup sparked a nationwide rebellion and a civil war that has ravaged the nation of 55 million. The ruling junta has so far refused to hold talks with its opponents, whom it calls terrorists.
        
        Thailand has offered to host an "informal consultation" of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in December to try to find a way out of the intractable conflict that has displaced millions of people.
        
        "ASEAN should send a unified message to all parties in Myanmar that there is no military solution. It is time to start talking," Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra told a meeting of ASEAN leaders.
        
        "Thailand is ready to help."