Asean chair alarmed over escalating Myanmar violence

Anti-coup fighters escort protesters against the military coup in Sagaing, in the Sagaing Division of northwest Myanmar on Sept 7, 2022. Dozens of local "People’s Defence Forces" are fighting the military and attempting to overturn the coup, armed with little more than homemade weapons and knowledge of the local terrain. Some of these groups have surprised the military with their effectiveness, analysts say.(Photo: AFP)

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is gravely concerned about escalating violence in Myanmar, the bloc's chair Cambodia said, in remarks ahead of a special meeting of its foreign ministers on Thursday to discuss the crisis.

"We are deeply saddened by the growing casualties, and the immense suffering that ordinary people in Myanmar have endured," the chair's statement said, calling for restraint, an immediate cessation of fighting, and for all parties to pursue dialogue.