Myanmar coup: Indonesia rallies Asean partners, US and China for solution to political crisis

Singapore’s foreign minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, said on Tuesday that the developments in Myanmar – including internet blackouts and crackdown against pro-democracy protesters – were “alarming”, but added that he saw no reason for widespread sanctions against the country. While one of Asean’s tenets is to not interfere in member states’ internal matters, Balakrishnan said that the grouping could play a “constructive role in facilitating a return to normalcy and stability in Myanmar”. Asst Prof Dylan Loh, of public policy and global affairs at NTU Singapore, said that Asean “can’t do much more” than appeal for calm and a return to normalcy. “It is also not in Asean‘s interest to intervene strongly on this issue if it wishes to keep lines of communication open with Myanmar’s leadership,” Loh said.