ASEAN Myanmar coup

The Southeast Asian bloc must make it clear that it will not accept the military junta's sham election.

The argument that ASEAN should do more is widespread, but the grouping has already taken several unprecedented steps.

The time between now and the ASEAN Summit in November could be crucial in shaping the bloc’s approach toward the crisis in Myanmar.

The comments came a day after an ASEAN joint communique lamented the "lack of progress" in resolving the country's political crisis.

In the annual statement, the bloc's 10 member states laid out their consensus positions on the conflicts in Ukraine and Myanmar, among other issues.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said that the bloc had never been "confronted at the same time with so many perils for the region and the world at large."

In a nationally televised speech, coup leader Min Aung Hlaing blamed "terrorists" for delaying the country's return to normalcy.

This week's meetings come amid a host of regional and global crises that are testing the effectiveness of the Southeast Asian bloc.

Eighteen months on from the military coup, it is time for the bloc to decide which side of history it wants to be on.

ASEAN must make a powerful, unified stand on the right to life and human rights – for the people of Myanmar and for the future of the region. 

The killings demonstrate the regime’s contempt for regional and global opinion. Could they force ASEAN to change its approach to the country’s conflict?