PM Lee to travel to Jakarta for Asean summit on Myanmar crisis

SINGAPORE — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will travel to Jakarta on Saturday (April 24) to attend a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), where the crisis in army-ruled Myanmar is set to be discussed.

Leaders at the summit will discuss the situation in Myanmar, “which has had a serious impact on the peace and stability of Asean and the region”, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Friday.

Mr Lee will be accompanied by Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean will be the Acting Prime Minister in Mr Lee’s absence.

Myanmar has been in crisis since a Feb 1 military coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

According to the United Nations, at least 741 people — including 52 children — have been killed since the coup.

Myanmar’s military chief Min Aung Hlaing is expected to attend the meeting at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta.

Thailand's prime minister and the president of the Philippines have said they would send their foreign ministers.

Asean’s other members include Myanmar itself, Brunei, Cambodia, the host Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. CNA

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