Myanmar's envoy to the UN asked member states of ASEAN to take further action against the junta illegally holding power in his country.

During a recent interview with Kyodo News, Kyaw Moe Tun said, “We thought that the member states of ASEAN could take strong and unified actions against the military...but it just hasn't happened yet."

Referring to ASEAN's condemnation of the Myanmar junta following its summit earlier this month, Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun added, “To be very frank, it does still not meet our expectations.”

The ASEAN Chairman’s Statement during the 43rd ASEAN Summit on 5 September included, “We strongly condemned the continued escalation of violence, causing prolonged suffering for the people of Myanmar, humanitarian crisis, the destruction of houses and public facilities such as schools, hospitals, markets, churches and monasteries, and adverse impacts on regional stability, particularly along the border region.

The member countries also decided at the summit that the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) remains as ASEAN’s main reference to address the political crisis in Myanmar, and they are gravely concerned by the lack of substantial progress on its implementation by the military regime, although the member countries made a commitment to the 5PC in April 2021.

During the interview with Kyodo News, the envoy criticized the junta's continued acts of violence and suppression against the people of Myanmar.

“We want the international community to help us in a concrete and effective way. Make sure that no one (is) left behind. Make sure that those who are in need receive assistance."

He continued to say that he is asking the Security Council to impose sanctions on the sale of arms and jet fuel to the junta, block its sources of funding and create an accountability mechanism to provide justice for those who have perished at the hands of Myanmar's military.

"We, the international community, in particular the Security Council, cannot stop the military for their atrocities, cannot stop (them) committing massacres against the people," he said.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution in December 2022 to release "all arbitrarily detained prisoners" and to end "all forms of violence" in Myanmar.

Kyaw Moe Tun also requested the world not to lose sight of the people of Myanmar, while the global community is shifting to other crises, including the war in Ukraine.