Cambodia's Hun Sen in Myanmar to meet military leaders

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BANGKOK – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is visiting Myanmar connected what helium says is simply a travel meant to reconstruct bid aft a Feb. 1 subject takeover but that critics accidental volition conscionable legitimize the army’s seizure of power.

Live video connected Hun Sen's authoritative Facebook leafage showed him being welcomed by elder Myanmar officials aft his accomplishment successful the Myanmar superior of Naypyitaw aboriginal Friday. Myanmar's authorities media besides broadcast his arrival.

Hun Sen is himself an authoritarian person who has held powerfulness for 36 years and keeps a choky leash connected governmental enactment successful Cambodia. He is the archetypal caput of authorities to sojourn Myanmar since the coup that ousted the elected authorities of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Cambodia holds the rotating seat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Hun Sen plans to conscionable with Myanmar's person Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing to beforehand a five-point bid program for Myanmar endorsed by ASEAN past year.

Hun Sen said connected Wednesday successful Phnom Penh that helium had not acceptable immoderate pre-conditions earlier his visit.

“What I would similar to bring to the talks is thing too the 5 points, statement points that were agreed upon by each ASEAN subordinate states," helium said precocious Wednesday.

The connection calls for a halt to the unit that has followed the subject takeover, talks with the absorption connected a peaceful solution and support for a peculiar ASEAN envoy to conscionable and mediate with each parties successful the conflict.

ASEAN leaders including Min Aung Hlaing agreed connected those points past April. The Myanmar person was barred successful October from attending ASEAN meetings aft the then-ASEAN peculiar envoy was prevented from gathering with Suu Kyi and different governmental detainees.

Myanmar’s subject has said Hun Sen besides would not beryllium allowed to conscionable with Suu Kyi, who was convicted successful December connected charges of incitement and violating coronavirus restrictions and sentenced to 4 years successful situation — a condemnation that Min Aung Hlaing past chopped successful half.

The army's takeover prevented Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy enactment from opening a 2nd word successful office. It won a landslide triumph successful nationalist elections successful November 2020 and autarkic predetermination observers did not find immoderate large irregularities.

Min Aung Hlaing's determination undid 10 years of advancement toward ideology aft the service loosened its grip connected powerfulness aft decades of repressive subject rule.

The Myanmar subject has a past of bloodshed, including a brutal run against the Rohingya Muslim minority. Its seizure of powerfulness provoked nationwide nonviolent demonstrations, which information forces person quashed with deadly force. The subject has precocious engaged successful convulsive suppression of each dissent, disappearances, torture and extra-judicial killings. It has besides launched aerial strikes and crushed offensives against taste equipped rebel groups.

Security forces person killed astir 1,443 civilians, according to a elaborate tally by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. As the crackdown has go much severe, an equipped absorption has grown wrong the country.

Hun Sen was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn, the existent ASEAN peculiar envoy, and different apical Cambodian leaders.

Hun Sen, who has retained powerfulness by exiling oregon imprisoning the Cambodian opposition, whitethorn beryllium hoping his sojourn volition burnish his ain tarnished planetary image.

The National Unity Government, an underground Myanmar absorption radical and parallel administration, besides urged Hun Sen to enactment away.

“Meeting Min Aung Hlaing, shaking blood-stained hands. It’s not going to beryllium acceptable,” said Dr. Sasa, a spokesperson for the radical who uses 1 name.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Myanmar's person volition proceed to beryllium excluded from ASEAN meetings unless immoderate advancement is made.

“Should determination beryllium nary important advancement connected the implementation of the five-point consensus, Myanmar should lone beryllium represented astatine a non-political level astatine ASEAN meetings,” Widodo tweeted aft speaking to Hun Sen.

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Associated Press journalists Sopheng Cheang successful Phnom Penh, Edna Tarigan successful Jakarta, Indonesia, Kiko Rosario successful Manila, Philippines, and Jerry Harmer and Patrick Quinn successful Bangkok contributed to this report.

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