Military junta snubs Asean meet

Peaceful protest: The military coup prompted widespread protests that security forces suppressed with lethal force. — AP

The country will not participate in this week’s meetings of foreign ministers from Asean, spurning an invitation to send a non-political representative instead of its chief diplomat, its government said.

Cambodia, the current Asean chair, said earlier this month that members of the regional group had failed to reach a consensus on inviting Myanmar Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin to its meetings today and tomorrow in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh.