Despite ASEAN Agreement... Shootings Continue in Myanmar Resulting in Deaths

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Despite the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) 10 member countries announcing a joint statement to resolve the Myanmar crisis, reports of deaths caused by gunfire from military and police forces continue in Myanmar.

According to local media on the 27th, a man died from gunfire by military and police forces in front of a street vendor in the Seinpan district of Mandalay, the second largest city, the previous night. It is reported that 2 to 3 people were injured in the process.

In the southern Dawei region, a woman riding a motorcycle was shot and killed for no apparent reason.

The deaths from gunfire occurred just two days after the ASEAN special summit held on the 24th in Jakarta, Indonesia, where a five-point agreement was reached, including the immediate cessation of violence and the start of dialogue between the parties involved.

The resumption of gunfire by military and police forces just two days after the agreement has raised speculation that the Myanmar military might already be treating the ASEAN agreement as "scrap paper."

In fact, Myanmar media did not mention the ASEAN agreement. However, the State Administration Council (SAC), the military junta governing body, reportedly said, according to major foreign media citing state broadcasts, "Some points from the ASEAN summit are good contributions, and we will consider them."

This can be seen as implying that they may selectively accept only parts of the agreement that suit the military's preferences, rather than the entire agreement.

Criticism of the ASEAN agreement is also growing within Myanmar.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a human rights organization, pointed out, "For this agreement to be for the people of Myanmar, ASEAN should have demanded the release of political prisoners and set a timeline for it," and added, "They should have also stated what additional measures would be taken if the military does not comply with the agreement."

Defense Minister Ea Mon of the National Unity Government (NUG) also criticized, saying, "The sad point of this agreement is that it did not mention that the military took power from the democratically elected government," and "It also failed to criticize the military that has killed more than 700 people."

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that Christine Schraner Burgener, the UN Special Envoy on Myanmar, met with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who attended this summit.

UN spokesperson Farhan Haq disclosed the meeting between the two during a briefing the previous day. However, he did not specify what was discussed.

Special Envoy Burgener had requested entry into Myanmar after the military coup on February 1, which was justified by the military as a response to the November general election being fraudulent, but was denied entry.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.