The Myanmar military, responsible for a two-year-old coup, has been invited to attend the five-day ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) Experts’ Working Group on Maritime Security, co-hosted by Thailand and the US. The event, starting on February 20, will include table top exercises.
Myanmar Now, an independent news source covering Myanmar, reported that the Myanmar military has been invited to attend a theoretical drill event organized by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to focus on search and rescue, piracy, and smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people. The US Department of Defense confirmed that the invitation was made in accordance with ASEAN protocols. The meeting will include 10 ASEAN members and representatives from dialogue partners such as Australia, China, India, and the US. ASEAN has faced challenges in handling Myanmar amid the military’s failure to end violence and promote dialogue after the 2021 coup. Some ASEAN member countries are pushing for engagement with the National Unity Government established by elected politicians, but others, like Indonesia, prefer a tougher stance on Myanmar.
Source: Al Jazeera
