The special envoy for Myanmar appointed by Southeast Asia’s regional bloc to resolve the coup-hit nation’s political crisis asked on Saturday for full access to all parties.
Several months of internal wrangling led to the appointment of Brunei’s Second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Myanmar, an ASEAN Member state, has been in chaos since February when the military junta ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, alleging that the government had committed electoral fraud during 2020.
As per a local monitoring group, more than 900 people have been killed in violent crackdowns of protests that have erupted since the coup.
According to Yusof, his first visit to Myanmar as a special envoy was “in the pipeline” but he did not offer a date.
He said he would engage in “more substantive discussions” on issues such as “cessation of violence, dialogue, and mediation” during his next visit.
In addition, he emphasised, “the importance for the special envoy to be given full access to all parties concerned in Myanmar in order for meaningful progress to be made”.
Since the coup, he has already been to Myanmar once for ASEAN, where he met with junta deputy chief Min Aung Hlaing on June 4.
Aung Hlaing attended an ASEAN meeting in April during which a “consensus statement” was issued calling for an immediate end to violence and the appointment of an envoy.
According to Yusof, efforts are also underway to help authorities combat a Coronavirus outbreak in Myanmar by getting more emergency aid into the country.
In extending a timeline announced shortly after the coup, Min Aung Hlaing recently promised to hold elections and lift a state of emergency by August 2023.