Singapore has financial leverage to pressure Myanmar - U.S. official

FILE PHOTO: Myanmar soldiers walk along a street during a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, February 28, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

(Reuters) - Singapore has the ability to wield its significant financial leverage over Myanmar's military rulers to pressure them to return to a path of democracy amid a deteriorating humanitarian and economic crisis, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday.

Speaking in a teleconference from Jakarta, Counselor of the U.S. State Department Derek Chollet said partnerships with countries in the region were critical to pressuring Myanmar as it risks becoming a "failed state in the heart of Asia".