Myanmar says it won’t attend ASEAN foreign ministers meeting

By GRANT PECK
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar says it will not participate in this week’s meetings in Cambodia of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, spurning an invitation to send a non-political representative instead of its chief diplomat. The decision to restrict Myanmar’s participation reflected a disagreement over Myanmar’s lack of cooperation in implementing measures agreed upon by the 10-member group to ease that country’s violent political crisis following the army’s seizure of power. Japan’s foreign minister met in Tokyo on Monday with Hun Sen’s son and agreed to cooperate in dealing with the situation in Myanmar. Cambodia is the current chair of ASEAN.