Violence
Public transport thin in Dhaka; Commuters suffer
The presence of public transport was relatively thin in Dhaka on Thursday amid tension and fear of violence following Wednesday’s clash between police and BNP men, causing suffering to commuters.
Commuters were seen waiting on roads for long due to lack of public transport.
Md Asharf, operation manager of private transport agency ‘Alif Paribahan’, told UNB that though some 250 buses of the agency usually ply different roads in the city every day, the number was 130-135 buses since today’s morning.
Read more: Traffic movement halted in front of BNP’s Nayapaltan office
The number of passengers and general people on the roads was also thin compared to the normal days, he said adding that general people are not coming out of their houses unless they have any emergency work.
The number of passengers was low since morning, he said.
Md Hiron, a lineman of ‘Raich Paribahan’, said they have been operating 20-25 out of 40 buses on different routes as most of buses are running with a low number of passengers.
Abu Saleh Md Raihan, joint commissioner of traffic (north), said there was no traffic congestion in parts of the city today.
“The number of public transports on the roads is low compared to any other day,” he said.
We know why 'BNP is orchestrating violence' ahead of December 10: Quader
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Wednesday said the BNP is orchestrating violence before the party's rally on December 10 and they know the reason behind this.
He came up with the remarks while addressing a public rally at the Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium in Cox's Bazar. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addressed the rally organised by Cox's Bazar Awami League as the chief guest.
"We know the real reason why they want to hold a rally in Nayapaltan. The reason is they can take shelter in the party office, use weapons, and carry out arson attack from there," Quader, also Awami League general secretary, said.
"We have heard that the BNP men attacked police in front of their party headquarters in Nayapaltan today," he added.
However, the BNP said it will stage demonstrations in all cities and district towns on Thursday to protest "barbaric" police action and mass arrests of the party's leaders and activists in front of its Nayapaltan central office on Wednesday.
On September 27, the BNP announced a series of public rallies in 10 divisional cities. The party began the rallies by holding the first one in Chattogram on October 12.
The BNP will end its divisional rallies through a mass gathering in Dhaka city on December 10.
Read more: BNP's Dec 10 rally: Obaidul Quader optimistic about a wayout for venue
More than one in five people face violence, harassment at work: UN
More than one in five people employed – almost 23 per cent – have experienced violence and harassment at work, whether physical, psychological or sexual, according to a new analysis by the International Labour Organization (ILO), Lloyd's Register Foundation (LRF) and Gallup.
"The Experiences of Violence and Harassment at Work: A global first survey" assesses the extent of the problem and looks at the factors that may prevent people from talking about what they have gone through, including shame, guilt or a lack of trust in institutions, or because such unacceptable behaviours are seen as "normal."
"Violence and harassment at work is difficult to measure. The report found that only half of victims worldwide had disclosed their experiences to another person, and often only after they had suffered repeated incidents," the ILO said.
"The most common reasons given for non-disclosure were waste of time and fear for their reputation. Women were more likely to share their experiences than men (60.7 percent compared to 50.1 percent)."
Globally, 17.9 percent of employed men and women said they had experienced psychological violence and harassment in their working life, and 8.5 percent had faced physical violence and harassment, with more men than women experiencing this.
Of respondents, 6.3 percent reported facing sexual violence and harassment, with women being particularly exposed, the ILO said.
Young people, migrant workers, and salaried women and men have been the most exposed to violence, according to the UN labour agency.
Young women were twice as likely as young men to have faced sexual violence and harassment, while migrant women were almost twice as likely as non-migrants to report sexual violence and harassment.
More than three out of five victims said they had experienced violence and harassment multiple times, and for the majority, the most recent incident took place within the past five years.
Read more: Sexual harassment, misconduct went on unchecked at Al Jazeera, staff allege: BBC investigation
"It's painful to learn that people face violence and harassment not just once but multiple times in their working lives," Manuela Tomei, ILO assistant director-general for governance, rights and dialogue, said.
"Psychological violence and harassment is the most prevalent across countries, and women are particularly exposed to sexual violence and harassment. The report tells us about the enormity of the task ahead to end violence and harassment in the world of work. I hope it will expedite action on the ground and towards the ratification and implementation of ILO Convention 190."
The ILO's Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (or 190) and Recommendation (No. 206) are the first international labour standards to provide a common framework to prevent, remedy and eliminate violence and harassment in the world of work, including gender-based violence and harassment.
The Convention includes the specific recognition, for the first time in international law, of the right of everyone to a world of work, free from violence and harassment, and outlines the obligations of signatories towards this end.
Read more: 63.51% women in Bangladesh face online harassment: Study
BNP won't be allowed to orchestrate violence surrounding December 10 rally: Quader
Awami League (AL) General Secretary Obaidul Quader has said if the BNP wants to orchestrate violence surrounding its December 10 rally in the capital, the ruling party will take strict measures to stop it with the support of the people.
Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, was speaking with the media at the secretariat Wednesday.
"Why did the BNP set December 10 for its rally? Did not the party know the history of Bangladesh?" he asked.
"During the Liberation War in 1917, the killing of intellectuals was carried out in Bangladesh from December 10 to 14," Quader said.
The AL leader also said the BNP did not choose Suhrawardy Udyan as the venue of its rally, a historical place where Pakistani occupation forces surrendered in 1971 and where all major rallies and national conferences of the ruling party are held.
"Why did the BNP choose to hold its rally in a small area in front of its office, where the space is around 35,000 square feet only?" he asked.
On September 27, the BNP announced a series of public rallies in 10 divisional and big cities. The party began the rallies by holding the first one in Chattogram on October 12.
The BNP will end its divisional rallies through a mass gathering in Dhaka city on December 10.
Read more: BNP gears up for Saturday’s rally in Rajshahi
Don’t forget BNP-Jamaat's arson, violence in 2013-15: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday (November 06, 2022) asked the countrymen not to forget the dreadful days of arson and violence unleashed by BNP-Jamaat in the name of protests in 2013-15.
“I would like to ask people of the country to remain alert so that no one can resort to such incidents anymore,” she said.
The premier was addressing an event titled 'Cries of arson, violence victims: A partial scenario of BNP-Jamaat's fire attacks, anarchy and violation of human rights' organised by Bangladesh Awami League at National Museum Auditorium in Dhaka.
Read more: Mustaque, Zia behind Nov. 3 jail killing: PM Hasina
Sheikh Hasina said some 500 people were burnt to death and over 3500 were injured during the arson and violence of BNP-Jamaat. “We tried our best to stand beside them and took steps for their treatment. But it is not possible to take away the pain and suffering of the people who lost their loved ones,” she added.
Sheikh Hasina said those who were burned had dreams and aspirations, but their aspirations were burned to ashes. “I would like to tell the people of the country that no one should forget that terrible time,” she said.
“We don’t have any objection (with healthy politics). But if anyone attacks people, they (attackers) will not be spared. It (violence) can’t be tolerated. No man can endure it,” she said.
Read more: Don’t resort to violence in name of movement: PM Hasina warns BNP
She said every person, irrespective of political identity and creed, has the right to life and livelihood. “We have the responsibility to protect the rights,” she added.
PM Hasina said she lost her father, mother and brothers just in a single day. “So, we “I can feel their pain, (who lost dear ones in the arson violence),” she said in an emotion-choked voice.
She said the people were killed alive setting fire to buses again and again in 2013, 2014 and 2015. “Why did they destroy the lives of the people this way? How could it be called a movement? We never saw such movements before,”
She said they (AL) waged movements on many occasions since her school life and joined the movements against every military dictator. “We also waged movements against Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan and Zia. But we, even in our dreams, never thought killing the common people through petrol bombs and arson attacks,” she said.
Hasina said the BNP had announced a blockade and strike, but their aim was to kill people. “Such attacks are gross human rights violations,” she said.
She said there are cases against those who are involved in this kind of arson violence, many are being punished and more will get punishment in the future.
Talking about the masterminds of the violence, the PM criticised those who support the order givers despite resorting to such destructive activities.
“I don’t know how anyone can support those who could unleash such destructive attacks and cause sufferings for the people,” she said.
Mafruha Begum, who survived but lost her husband Nuruzzaman Bablu and her 10th-grader daughter Maisha in a petrol bomb attack on their bus in Chauddagram of Cumilla in 2015, questioned why she had to lose her loved ones without any offense.
“We neither do politics nor understand it. Why are we leading a hapless life losing family members in arson violence? What was the crime of my daughter Maisha? I can’t see and hear voices of my daughter and my husband for eight years. I can’t hear Maisha calling me mother,” she said.
Mafruha said she could survive the fire as the husband threw her out through the window, but she could not save him and her daughter.
“My daughter and husband died from burns in front of my eyes. I still hear the scream and the call of ‘mother,’ the last word of my Maisha. I still can’t sleep throughout the night,” she said in a traumatized voice.
Salauddin Bhuiyan, who got huge scars on face due to burn injuries sustained in the arson violence in Jatrabari while going to Narsingdi from Dhaka by a bus in 2013, said he is often suffers neglect.
“I used to lead a happy life with a nice face. Now I live with deep mental agony. But I don’t get any job now. I still have the ability to work but none employs me,” he said, showing his two hands.
“When I get on a bus now, no passenger can sit beside me due to my disfigured face,” he added.
Like them, covered van driver Ramzan Ali who lost his 14-year son Munir Hossain in the parked covered van in Gazipur when it came under the petrol bomb attack in Gazipur; Runi Begum, who lost her son Nahid in arson attack in Shahbagh, Nasrin Akter, wife of BGB member Shah Alam who was beaten to death while on duty in Kanchpur; and Maya Begum, wife of Police constable Zakaria who was killed in the 2013 violence, Khodeza Nasreen Akhter Hossain MP who sustained burn injuries in the capital; and Laila Begum, wife of Police member Hazrat Ali who was killed in 2013, among others, shared their miseries and agony.
The Prime Minister talked to the victims of arson and violence unleashed by the BNP-Jamaat alliance during 2013-2015.
at the event, some victims, who are still suffering from the injuries or bear scars, and the victims' family members shared their trauma and demanded punishment of the perpetrators.
Read More: 70 BNP activists including Ishraque sued over vandalisation at Barishal AL office
The family members said they are now enduring serious financial hardship and mental agony after losing their loved ones during the political violence in 2013-2015. Noted Bangladesh's cultural personality Asaduzzaman Noor MP conducted the event.
Don’t resort to violence in name of movement: PM Hasina warns BNP
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday (November 03, 2022) warned that her government will not spare BNP if it resorts to violence in the name of movement.
“I told them (BNP) we’ll say nothing if they hold peaceful processions and meetings. But they are going for showdown bearing sticks. If they attack any person, we’ll not spare them,” she said.
The premier was addressing a discussion arranged by Bangladesh Awami League at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre here on the occasion of the Jail Killing Day.
Read more: Attack on ex-judge Manik: 50 BNP men sued
Sheikh Hasina said the movement of BNP means arson violence. What a mayhem they carried out across Bangladesh in 2013, 2014 and 2015. They proved that they are allies of the Pakistani occupation force,” she said, giving an account of the damages caused by the mayhem.
She questioned how BNP dreams that the people will vote for them as the party didn’t stand beside the people with nominal assistance during any tough time.
The Prime Minister said Khaleda Zia was convicted in the Zia Orphanage Trust case and sentenced to 10-year in jail. Khaleda’s sister, brother and sister’s spouse came to her (PM) and with plea to release her.
Read more: AL has no problem with non-violent BNP protests: PM Hasina tells MPs
“We’ve given her (Khaleda) scope to stay in her house, suspending her sentence on humanitarian grounds. If BNP does excesses, we will send her back to jail,” she said.
Where is the head of BNP?
PM Hasina once again said that BNP emerged from the pocket of a military dictator who illegally grabbed power. How will such a party rescue democracy,? she asked.
“Hearing it (BNP’s announcement for restoration of democracy), there are also some people who supported them. What knowledge and intellect do they have? Can’t they realize the reality?” she wondered.
Read More: JCD behind the attack on ex-Judge Manik: Information Minister
The PM also questioned about the whereabouts of BNP leadership. “BNP is jumping, but where is their leader?” she said, adding that both Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman were convicted by court in graft cases.
Khaleda will be back in jail if BNP crosses the limit:
“BNP is showing excitement. But they have two leaders and both are convicted,” she said.
The premier said a convicted person can’t be the party’s chairman as per the charter of BNP. Since Khaleda Zia is a convicted, the chairmanship was given to Tarique Zia who is also a convicted. “Where is the head of BNP now?” she said.
Read More: BNP activists arriving two days early to join Barishal rally
Vote Campaign on development successes: PM to AL leaders and activists
Sheikh Hasina, also the president of Awami League, asked her party leaders and activists to tell the people about her government’s development achievements ahead of the next national election.
“(Convince the people) if AL returns to power, the development trend will continue. And if BNP comes, incidents like looting, misdeeds, bombing and grenade attacks will return,” she told AL men.
She said the people don’t want to see such an unstable situation, rather they want peace. They know AL means development and AL means the improvement of people’s life, she added.
Read More: BNP’s ideology stands poles apart from Jamaat, it sees India as a special friend, says Mirza Fakhrul in an exclusive interview with UNB
Jail Killing Day: A Look Back
After the killings inside Dhaka Central Jail, people realized that the August 15 massacre was not just about killing a family.
Talking about the Jail Killing day, the PM said a perception was created following the 1975 August tragedy that the assassination of the Father of Nation was merely the wiping out a family. But when the November 3 killing occurred, the people could realize that it had not been the killing of only a family rather the killing of the spirit of the Liberation War and ideology of the Independence.
She said several successive governments after the August 15 bloodbath distorted the history of Bangladesh, erased the name of the Father of the Nation and carried out campaign against him. Anti-Liberation Force and war criminals were reinstated in power.
Read More: Security agencies will act, if vandalism is there in the name of protests, says Home Minister
“Whether Bangladesh remained truly independent after 1975 mayhem was a big question,” said Hasina, adding that the successive governments started acting against the spirit of the Liberation War.
AL general secretary Obaidul Quader delivered the welcome speech while AL presidium members Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Engr. Mosharraf Hossain and Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya Bir Bikram, AL central committee member Parvin Zaman Kalpana, martyred Syed Nazrul Islam’s daughter Dr Syeda Zakia Noor Lipi, and Dhaka South and North City AL presidents Abu Ahmed Monnafi and Sheikh Bazlur Rahman spoke at the event.
AL publicity and publication secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap, MP, and his deputy Aminul Islam moderated the discussion.
Read More: HC orders speedy disposal of graft case against Gayeshwar
The day is observed to remember four national leaders Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, Captain M Mansur Ali, and AHM Quamruzzaman who were assassinated inside Dhaka Central Jail on November 3 in 1975.
Bangladesh's Jail killing massacre happened barely three months after anti-liberation elements assassinated the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members on August 15, 1975.
Past victims of Shibir violence speak out in webinar
Propagating radicalism, circulating anti-liberation narratives, and slaying rivals are the cornerstone of Islami Chhatra Shibir's politics, leading to bans on many campuses, alleged former student leaders who became victims of Shibir's gruesome attacks.
Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, continued the crimes due to the absence of proper documentation of those incidents of severing, the tendons of many university students with sharp weapons, revealed the survivors participating in a webinar held recently.
Regarding the reason behind their attacks, the victims said Shibir activists were infuriated by initiatives they had undertaken to expose the 'radical, hardline, and extremist' views of the group, that was rejected by general students.
As most such attacks were carried out during the last BNP-Jamaat tenure (2001-2006), lack of cheap Internet and absence of CCTV footage conspired with that dreaded outfit, they added.
Rajshahi University (RU) campus witnessed horrific attacks by Shibir cadres who cut tendons of Bangladesh Chhatra League students.
Dr Shah Alam, who enrolled in Rajshahi Medical College in 2004, said Shibir leaders and activists became so violent following the BNP-Jamaat takeover in 2001 that they didn't even allow Chhatra League students to stay in their dormitories or take exams.
Recalling the killing of another RU student Farque whose body was recovered from a manhole after Shibir cadres cut his tendons, Dr Alam said, “This happened even after Awami League returned to power back in 2009.”
Read: Webinar: Former BCL leaders recount Shibir's 'violent politics'
Dipak Pal, another former BCL leader of the Mymensingh Agricultural University unit, said, "In 2001, when I was a second-year student, a gang kept stabbing me until they thought that I went beyond all the pain.”
“However, later, I was taken to Rajshahi Medical and underwent intensive treatment. Though I recovered, my body bears such marks.”
They swooped on him after he rushed to a polling center where they snatched ballot boxes and kept stuffing ballots sealing with BNP-Jamaat's electoral symbol during the 2001 election, he added.
Tonmoy Ahmed, former general secretary of Awami League's Buet unit, referring to a report by a newspaper, said, “A fake story was cooked up to criminalize me and my junior Arif Raihan Dwip that we beat an imam at a mosque on the campus. The reason they targeted us was that both of us were active in the youths' movement against the war criminals.”
Days into the news getting published, Dwip was hacked to death by another BUET student.
The attacker, now on bail, confessed that provocative sermons by one Imam influenced him to carry out the killing, Tonmoy added.
Shibir, known as Islami Chhatra Sangha before Bangladesh's independence, actively helped Pakistani occupation forces in 1971 to commit genocide and other war crimes, the speakers added.
Deadly clashes shake Libya's capital, killing 23 people
Deadly clashes broke out Saturday in Libya's capital between militias backed by its two rival administrations, portending a return to violence amid a long political stalemate.
At least 23 people were killed and 140 more wounded, the Health Ministry said. It added that 64 families were evacuated from areas around the fighting.
The escalation threatens to shatter the relative calm Libya has enjoyed for most of the past two years. The oil-rich nation plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
Among the fatalities was Mustafa Baraka, a comedian known for his social media videos mocking militias and corruption. Baraka died after he was shot in his chest, said Malek Merset, an emergency services spokesman.
Merset said emergency services were still trying to evacuate wounded and civilians trapped in the fighting that erupted overnight and continued into Saturday evening.
The Health Ministry said in a statement hospitals and medical centers in the capital were shelled, and ambulance teams were barred from evacuating civilians, in acts that “amount to war crimes.”
The municipal council of Tripoli blamed the ruling political class for the deteriorating situation in the capital, and urged the international community to “protect civilians in Libya.”
The violence caused widespread panic among Tripoli residents. Footage circulated online showed houses, government facilities, and vehicles apparently damaged from the fighting. Other footage showed militia forces deploying and heavy fire being exchanged across the night sky.
The U.N. mission in Libya said the fighting involved “indiscriminate medium and heavy shelling in civilian-populated neighborhoods” of Tripoli.
Read: 26 Bangladeshis killed in Libya gun attack
The mission called for an immediate cease-fire, and for all parties in Libya to “refrain from using any form of hate speech and incitement to violence.”
The clashes pitted the Tripoli Revolutionaries’ Brigade militia, led by Haitham Tajouri, against another militia allied with Abdel-Ghani al-Kikli, an infamous warlord known as “Gheniwa,” according to local media. Later on Saturday, more militias joined the fighting which spread in different areas in the capital.
Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s government, which is based in Tripoli, claimed the clashes broke out when one militia fired at another.
The fighting, however, is highly likely part of ongoing power struggle between Dbeibah and his rival Prime Minister Fathy Bashagha who is operating from the coast city of Sirte.
Both Dbeibah and Bashagha are backed by militias, and the latter was mobilizing in recent weeks to try to enter Tripoli to dislodge his rival.
An attempt in May by Bashagha to install his government in Tripoli triggered clashes that ended with his withdrawal from the capital.
U.S. Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland urged for de-escalation “before things get worse” and for Libyan parties to agree on an early date for elections.
Int'l community urged to intensify pressure on Myanmar military to stop violence against its people
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has urged the international community to intensify pressure on the military to stop its campaign of violence against the people of Myanmar.
She also urged the international community to insist on prompt restoration of civilian rule, and accountability for violations committed by security forces.
"We continue to document gross human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law on a daily basis, including repression against protesters and attacks against civilians that may amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes," said Bachelet during a press conference in Geneva on Thursday.
Read: I can understand PM Hasina’s pains: Bachelet
August 25 marked five years since more than 700,000 Rohingya women, children and men were forced to flee Myanmar for Bangladesh – and Myanmar’s human rights catastrophe continues to worsen, with the military (the Tatmadaw) maintaining military operations in Kayah and Kayin in the southeast; Chin state in the northwest; and Sagaing and Magway regions in the Bamar heartland.
The use of air power and artillery against villages and residential areas has intensified, she said.
"Recent spikes in violence in Rakhine State also seemed to indicate that the last fairly stable area of the country may not avoid a resurgence of armed conflict," said the UN rights chief.
She said Rohingya communities have frequently been caught between the Tatmadaw and Arakan Army fighters or have been targeted directly in operations.
Myanmar violence, Ukraine war loom over ASEAN meetings
Southeast Asian foreign ministers are gathering in the Cambodian capital for meetings addressing persisting violence in Myanmar and other issues, joined by top diplomats from the United States, China, Russia and other world powers amid tensions over the invasion of Ukraine and concerns over Beijing’s growing ambitions in the region.
The meeting in Phnom Penh of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will see U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov together at the same venue for the second time in a month, though it's not clear whether the two will meet.
The two did not meet separately when they both attended the Group of 20 foreign ministers' meeting in Bali, Indonesia, in early July. But they had their first direct contact since before Russia invaded Ukraine in a phone call Friday, when Blinken urged Moscow to accept a deal to release American detainees Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan and discussed other issues.
Also attending is Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Many have urged Beijing to use its partnership with Russia to push for an end to the conflict in Ukraine and to help promote peace and a return to civilian rule in Myanmar after a February 2021 coup sparked mass protests and an armed resistance.
The meetings come at a time of tension between Washington and Beijing as the U.S. pushes back against China’s growing economic and military influence in the Asia-Pacific.
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is touring the region and arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday. That has heightened friction further, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian cautioning last week that “those who play with fire will perish by it.”
Communist-ruled China considers Taiwan its own territory, and has said it might take the island by force if it deems it necessary. The U.S. follows a “one China” policy in which it recognizes Beijing as the government of China yet maintains informal relations and defense ties with Taiwan.
In a call last week with U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese leader Xi Jinping objected to the possibility of a visit by Pelosi, who became the highest-level U.S. official to travel to Taiwan in more than 25 years.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, its impact on global food and energy prices and escalating China-U.S. friction are of high concern for the 10 ASEAN nations, said Susannah Patton, director of the Southeast Asia Program for Australia’s Lowy Institute.
“This is one of the first regional meetings of foreign ministers to have been held in person since 2019, so for the United States, China and even Russia, meetings like this are a really important opportunity to demonstrate their support for ASEAN and present their own narratives about their commitment to regional security and prosperity,” she said.
Blinken, Wang and Lavrov have all been jockeying for influence recently in multiple foreign trips. Following the meetings, Blinken heads to the Philippines and then on to Africa.
Biden hosted ASEAN leaders at the White House in May at the group's first-ever summit in Washington. During those meetings, Biden announced he was nominating one of his top national security aides as ambassador to the group, underscoring the Asia-Pacific region's importance to the U.S.
Most recently, Lavrov has focused on Africa, while Wang visited multiple Pacific islands in May and made a five-nation swing through Southeast Asia last month.
During that trip, he said China was speeding up talks with ASEAN, which includes four countries that are in dispute with Beijing over territorial claims in the South China Sea, to come up with a nonaggression pact called a “code of conduct” to turn the body of water “into a sea of peace and cooperation.”
The ASEAN meetings also bring together some countries that have, or are negotiating, partnerships with ASEAN, including India, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Australia, in particular, has highlighted the importance of the ASEAN nations, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong saying last month that they should see new alliances, including the “Quad” group of Australia, U.S., India and New Japan and the “AUKUS” group of Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S., as beneficial to the region.
“ASEAN centrality means that we will always think about our security in the context of your security,” she said at a forum in Singapore.
“We understand deeply the ways in which they are interconnected. We believe that Australia must find its security in Asia, not from Asia, and that means, above all, in Southeast Asia.”
Myanmar, where the military ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, is a member of the 10-nation ASEAN group. It is not sending any delegates after other members decided no Myanmar political representatives could attend.
Escalating violence in the country is prominent on the ASEAN agenda as it struggles to implement a five-point consensus it reached on Myanmar last year. It calls for dialogue among all concerned parties, providing humanitarian assistance, an immediate end to violence and a visit by a special ASEAN envoy to meet with all parties.
Read: Rohingya Repatriation: Dhaka seeks proactive role from Indonesia, ASEAN
Suu Kyi’s ouster triggered widespread peaceful protests that were violently suppressed. They have evolved into an armed resistance and the country has slipped into what some U.N. experts characterize as a civil war.
Blinken has criticized ASEAN for not doing enough on Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. The resumption of judicial executions in late July, when the military-led government hanged four political prisoners, has driven a stronger backlash against its military rulers, with Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah condemning the act as a “crime against humanity.”
New sanctions are being considered and Saifuddin said ahead of the meetings that the group should consider scrapping or revising its five-point consensus. He said ASEAN’s special envoy also needs to meet with the National Unity Government, a shadow civilian administration established outside Myanmar, to help develop a new political framework.
“The end game is a democratic, inclusive and just, peaceful and harmonious, prosperous Myanmar whose civil and political rights are guaranteed by the constitution,” he said.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has proposed that ASEAN hold a special meeting on Myanmar specifically to discuss recent developments.
More than 2,100 people have been killed by the military government since it took power and nearly 15,000 have been arrested, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a non-governmental organization that tracks killings and arrests.
“All developments in Myanmar, including the death penalty for political prisoners, show a setback rather than progress from the implementation of the five-point consensus,” Marsudi said.
Cambodia currently holds the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN, which also includes the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Brunei in addition to Myanmar.