Jakarta urges Asean to act swiftly on pact to end turmoil

THE country’s foreign minister has called on Asean to name an envoy to troubled Myanmar, more than a month after the bloc agreed to steps to end turmoil after a military coup.

Asean is leading the main diplomatic effort on Myanmar since the Feb 1 coup plunged it into chaos, with hundreds of killings by security forces, thousands jailed, daily protests, paralysing strikes and spreading conflict in border regions.

Little apparent progress has been made since Asean said at a Jakarta meeting in April that it had reached a “consensus” with the junta ruling member state Myanmar.

“The appointment of a special envoy must be done immediately and communication with all parties must be maintained, ” Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told a video news conference in Jakarta yesterday.

The chair and…