ASEAN states should engage bilaterally with Myanmar to resolve crisis, Malaysian leader says

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says Southeast Asian countries should be given some latitude to engage informally with Myanmar on an individual basis to help resolve a deepening crisis there. Anwar said he and visiting Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. agreed during talks Wednesday on the need to strengthen the role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in ending the violence that started after Myanmar’s army seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government on Feb. 1, 2021. Anwar also said neighboring countries should be given “some flexibility, room and space” to engage Myanmar on an informal basis but that it must not come at the expense of sacrificing the issues of human rights and the treatment of minorities.