Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called the leaders of six countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Thursday, and all of them agreed that ASEAN should put out a clear statement to urge the Myanmar authorities to exercise restraint.
According to Channel NewsAsia reports on Thursday night, Lee called Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to voice Singapore's deep concern over the very grave situation in Myanmar.
Expressing their concerns over the current confrontation in Myanmar that would have implications for ASEAN and the whole region, the leaders urged Myanmar to seek a political solution for national reconciliation without resorting to violence.
They also stressed the importance of the mission to Myanmar by the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari, saying that the Myanmarese authorities should accept Gambari's visit and cooperate with the United Nations to find a peaceful solution.
Singapore, which currently holds the group's rotating presidency, has been consulting the other ASEAN countries on a coordinated response to the situation in Myanmar.
Singapore's Foreign Ministry also said in a statement on Thursday that the city state fully supports any initiative by the United Nations which will help defuse the situation.
The ministry stressed that a peaceful resolution to the situation in Myanmar will require the cooperation and involvement of all parties, including the military.
In Myanmar, eight men protestors were reportedly killed and 42 others injured by shots fired by security forces against demonstrations in Myanmar's biggest city of Yangon Thursday afternoon.
Source: Xinhua
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