INDONESIA, MALAYSIA SEEK SPECIAL MEET ON MYANMAR COUP

Indonesia and Malaysia said they will propose a special meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers on Myanmar, after Myanmar's military seized power in a coup and detained civilian leaders this week, according to Kyodo News

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said after talks with his Malaysian counterpart Muhyiddin Yassin in Jakarta that the two countries will make the proposal to Brunei, the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Muhyiddin, at a livestreamed joint press conference with Joko, said the coup was "a step back in the democratic process in that country."

The 10-member grouping has a policy of non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

ASEAN issued a statement shortly after the coup recalling members' shared goal of "adherence to the principles of democracy." It encouraged "the pursuance of dialogue, reconciliation and the return to normalcy in accordance with the will and interests of the people of Myanmar."

ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.

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