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BANGKOK: The Myanmar junta’s foreign minister visited Thailand on Wednesday (February 24) as regional powers tried to negotiate an end to three weeks of deadly unrest sparked by a military coup.
Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin held talks with his Thai and Indonesian counterparts in what were the first known face-to-face meetings between a high-ranking member of the board and foreign governments.
The military has weathered a storm of international condemnation for ousting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power in a coup on February 1, while dissent within its borders has been vociferous with daily protests across the country.
The meetings come after an announcement that Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi would not immediately visit the coup-hit nation, despite leaked documents from the Myanmar side about his imminent arrival.
READ: ‘Not the right time’ for Foreign Minister to visit Myanmar, Indonesia says
Instead, Thai Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tanee Sanrat confirmed in a text message to reporters that Marsudi, who visited Bangkok, met with Wunna Maung Lwin in Thailand, the same day she had a meeting with him. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the kingdom, Don Pramudwinai.
“We didn’t plan it, but we did,” Tanee wrote in response to a question about a meeting between the three ministers.
Another government source said there was “a tripartite meeting between the ministers of Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar, proposed by Thailand.”
Details of the discussions were not released.
While he did not confirm any meeting, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who came to power after a coup in 2014, said on Wednesday that the issue is being “handled by the Foreign Ministry.”
The two ASEAN nations were “friendly neighbors,” he said, before closing further questions.
READ: The wishes of the people of Myanmar must be respected: Indonesian Foreign Minister
“STOP NEGOTIATING WITH THEM”
Earlier on Wednesday, the Indonesian embassy in Myanmar’s commercial center Yangon saw hundreds of protesters gather for the second day in a row.
Angry that the country was considering negotiating with the junta government, officially called the State Board of Directors, the protesters carried signs reading: “Stop negotiating with them” and “Indonesia, do not support the dictator.”
“The Administrative Council of the Military State is not our legitimate government,” said participant Seinn Lae Maung, who had a Myanmar flag painted on her face.
“Please respect our vows and listen to our voices.”
Since the February 1 coup, Myanmar has witnessed a torrent of anger and defiance from hundreds of thousands of protesters across the country demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi.
READ: Comment – Has Myanmar’s coup prompted a rethinking of non-interference among ASEAN countries?
The army has justified its actions by alleging widespread electoral fraud in the November elections, which Aung San Suu Kyi’s party had won overwhelmingly.
Since taking power, the junta has ordered nightly internet blackouts and arrested hundreds of anti-coup protesters, while security forces have steadily stepped up enforcement tactics to quell the demonstrations.
They have fired tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets at protesters, as well as isolated live ammunition incidents.
So far three anti-coup protesters have been killed, while a man in Yangon was shot and killed while patrolling his neighborhood against nightly arrests.
READ: Myanmar protesters cry as funeral rites are performed for woman who was shot in the head
On Wednesday, family and friends paid tribute to Tin Htut Hein, 30, who was patrolling Yangon’s Shwephyitha Township when he was shot and killed.
People carry Tin Htut Hein’s coffin during his funeral in Yangon, Myanmar, on February 24, 2021. (Photo: AP)
Some mourners wore T-shirts with their faces printed on the front, while others hung roses on a sign that read “the dictatorship must fail.”
Protests continued across the country on Wednesday, from Yangon, where ethnic minority groups dressed in their traditional costumes marched with their flags, to Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, where protesters were riding elephants.
The huge mammals had “Down with the military dictatorship” written on their buttocks.
There was also a cremation ceremony for Wai Yan Tun, 17, who was shot in the head on Saturday after security forces opened fire during a protest in Mandalay.
Aung San Suu Kyi has not been seen in public since she was detained in morning raids.
The Nobel laureate faces shady charges for having unregistered walkie-talkies at her residence and for breaking coronavirus rules. He is expected to go to trial on March 1.
