Protesters March in Yangon Ahead of ASEAN Summit

Hundreds of anti-coup protesters marched through downtown Yangon, Friday, April 23, ahead of a special summit on Myanmar by the Association of South East Asian Nations.

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READ MORE: When the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations holds a special summit Saturday to discuss Myanmar, the regional body will be under as much scrutiny as the general who led the February coup ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Opponents of the junta are furious that ASEAN is welcoming its chief, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, to its meeting in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, arguing that because he seized power by force, he is not Myanmar’s legitimate leader. Also weighing heavily against him is the lethal violence perpetrated by the security forces he commands, responsible for killing hundreds of largely peaceful protesters and bystanders.

The junta’s foes have promoted the idea that the opposition’s parallel National Unity Government, recently established by the elected lawmakers the army barred from being seated, should represent Myanmar, or at least have some role in the Jakarta meeting. It has not been invited.

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LINK: www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/southeast-asian-summit-address-myanmars-post-coup-crisis