Rozanna Lattif, Tom Allard, and Poppy McCPherson

(Reuters] – Four people familiar with the discussions said that the “tense” meeting decided against Min Aung Hlaing’s inclusion at a regional summit.

Southeast Asian ministers were divided between sticking to a tradition of non-interference and the need to retain credibility by sanctioning the coup leader, who has led a bloody crackdown on dissent since seizing power from Myanmar’s civilian government on Feb. 1, the sources said.

With the majority support of the chair Brunei it was his decision to exclude him from the ASEAN leaders summit, Oct 26-28, and instead invite a Myanmar “non-political” representative.

This decision was against the decades-long ASEAN policy of non-interference and engagement in member countries’ affairs.

According to one person familiar with the discussions, “The atmosphere in the meeting was never more intense.”

A regional diplomat stated that “if you asked me whether ASEAN would ever do something like this one year ago, my answer would be no.” “ASEAN is evolving.”

Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore’s Foreign Minister, stated on Twitter (NYSE 🙂 that the meeting result was “difficult and necessary” to maintain ASEAN’s credibility.

Philippines Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin said before the meeting that the bloc could no longer afford to take a neutral stance on Myanmar, adding that if it relented, “our credibility as a real regional organization disappears … We’re a bunch of guys who always agree with each other on the worthless things”.

The spokesperson for Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry and Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry both declined comment.

ASEAN’s 10-members also include Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Laos and Thailand.

International pressure has been mounting on ASEAN for a harder line against Myanmar’s failure to take agreed steps to end violence, allow humanitarian access and start dialogue with its opponents.

The grouping’s perceived ineptitude has sparked outrage in Myanmar, with some anti-junta protesters burning the bloc’s flag.

Since overthrowing Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, detaining her and most of her allies and ending a decade of tentative democracy, Myanmar’s military has killed more than 1,000 people and arrested thousands in a bid to crush resistance, monitoring group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners says.

Nationally, fighting broke out between pro-democracy arm groups and junta soldiers.

In a televised address on Monday, making his first remarks since the snub, Min Aung Hlaing defended the military’s actions, saying it was seeking to restore order and ASEAN should take note of violence out by its opponents, before announcing an amnesty for thousands of political prisoners. [L1N2RE08M]

Earlier, a spokesman blamed ASEAN’s decision on “foreign intervention”, saying the United States and representatives of the European Union had pressured other members of the grouping.

CREDIBILITY AT STAKE

For decades, Myanmar’s military has been a thorny issue for the regional bloc, as previous ruling juntas came under fire for brutally crushing pro-democracy movements.

Friday’s decision came after weeks of failed diplomacy over the crisis and days after plans were scrapped for a visit to Myanmar by ASEAN’s special envoy Erywan Yusof when the junta denied him a meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, citing the criminal charges she faces.

They include breaking the Official Secrets Act.

As a way to get access to Suu Kyi (who is still being held at an unspecified location), Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Regional Diploma first suggested the idea of sidelining her at a ASEAN meeting this month.

Two of the sources said there were fears that Min Aung Hlaing’s presence would deter other global leaders from attending the larger East Asia Summit, set for a few days after the ASEAN summit.

U.N Secretary General Antonio Guterres delayed a meeting with Southeast Asian ministers last week to prevent being in the online same room as a Myanmar military representation.

“The threats to disengage weren’t made, at least explicitly, but there was anxiety on the part of member states that it would begin to affect ASEAN’s credibility in a broader sense,” said Aaron Connelly, a Southeast Asia researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

The regional leaders discussed on Friday requests to attend the summit from Myanmar’s parallel civilian government, the National Unity Government, which two sources said has been in quiet talks with Indonesia, among other nations, but stopped short.

Three sources claimed that the junta now has the responsibility of selecting a non-political representative. They are likely to select someone who is comparatively neutral, but closely tied to the regime.

Connelly said that Min Aung Hlaing’s exclusion from ASEAN is “the harshest sanction ever imposed on any ASEAN member country,”

People regionwide have “lost faith and hope in the mechanism of ASEAN to protect its own community members,” said Fuadi Pitsuwan, a fellow at Chiang Mai University’s School of Public Policy.

He said that perhaps it was time to “reevaluate” non-interference principles.

“Let’s see if this would kick start another round of this existential deliberation and whether it would end differently.”