PHNOM PENH: The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, has urged all countries, including ASEAN members, to seek a unified strategy towards Myanmar, centered on the needs and aspirations of the country’s people.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, 12 November, during the ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the UN Secretary-General said, “The situation in Myanmar is an unending nightmare for the people of the country and a threat to peace and security across the region. The indiscriminate attacks on civilians are horrendous and heartbreaking.”

Secretary-General Guterres urged Myanmar authorities to listen to their people, release political prisoners, and get a democratic transition back on track immediately. He also reiterated his call for urgent action by the Myanmar authorities to create conditions for the voluntary return of almost one million Rohingya refugees.

“That is the only way to stability and peace,” he said.

Responding to a question from the press on what he had to say about criticisms that the UN and ASEAN had failed Myanmar, Secretary-General Guterres pointed out that this failure was shared by the international community as a whole. He added that it is dramatic to see the suffering of the Myanmar people, but stressed that the UN is already working closely with Indonesia, the next ASEAN Chair, to continue pushing forward the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus and the development of a number of initiatives to reestablish democracy and release political prisoners.

Once the ASEAN Summit concludes, the UN Secretary-General will be heading to Bali, Indonesia to attend the G20 Summit.