From the start, Cambodia’s tenure as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been a time of dismay for Myanmar, with Phnom Penh never failing to find some new way to disappoint the people of the country. Even as it prepares to hand off to its successor, it is still finding ways to frustrate them. Take its latest announcement on Myanmar on Wednesday.
In his capacity as the ASEAN chairman, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said in the statement that the bloc was gravely concerned over the recent escalation of violence in Myanmar, including armed clashes in Karen State and a deadly air strike on a civilian gathering in Kachin State.
But the statement shamefully avoids naming the perpetrator: the Myanmar military regime, which is responsible for air raids that killed at least 50 people, including civilians, in Kachin as well as deadly air strikes and shelling in Karen State. Both happened late last week.
