Disgruntled citizens: Myanmar migrant workers demonstrate against the military coup and to demand the restoration of democracy in their country in a protest to mark May Day in Bangkok, Thailand. — Reuters
THE United States wants South-East Asian leaders to play a “more deeply engaged role” in efforts to put Myanmar back on a democratic track after a coup last year, the top US official for Asia said ahead of President Joe Biden’s meeting with leaders from the region this week.
The Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) has barred Myanmar’s junta from attending its summits until it sees progress in a five-point “consensus” agreed last year in hopes of ending violence that has erupted since the generals seized power and detained the country’s democratically elected leaders, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
