24 April 2021
Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Saturday called for an immediate end to the violence in Myanmar.
The big picture: ASEAN leaders, who met with Myanmar coup leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing in an emergency summit in Jakarta, released a five-point consensus, which said "there shall be immediate cessation of violence" in Myanmar. Min Aung Hlaing did not immediately comment on the consensus.
Details: The five-point consensus also said that all involved parties "shall exercise utmost restraint."
- They also agreed that all contending parties must engage in a peaceful dialogue, and a special ASEAN envoy will facilitate it and must be allowed to visit Myanmar to meet with all parties.
- ASEAN member nations said they will provide humanitarian aid to Myanmar.
- Of note: The consensus did not mention the release of political prisoners, which some leaders had demanded during the summit, per AP.
What they're saying: "We, as an ASEAN family, had a close discussion on the recent developments in Myanmar and expressed our deep concern on the situation in the country, including reports of fatalities and escalation of violence," the member nations said in a statement.
- "We acknowledged ASEAN’s positive and constructive role in facilitating a peaceful solution in the interest of the people of Myanmar and their livelihoods."
- "The situation in Myanmar is unacceptable and should not continue," Indonesian President Joko Widodo said during the emergency meeting, per AP. "Violence must be stopped, democracy, stability and peace in Myanmar must be returned immediately. The interests of the people of Myanmar must always be the priority."
- ASEAN leaders refrained from referring to the coup leader as Myanmar's head of state, a Southeast Asian diplomat told AP.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Min Aung Hlaing was "not opposed" to a visit from ASEAN officials or to receiving humanitarian aid, BBC reports.
- "He said he heard us, he would take the points in which he considered helpful," Lee Hsien Loong said.
Worth noting: The messages conveyed during the meeting could be deemed a policy breach for the association as members are prohibited from interfering in other's domestic affairs.
- But Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said that because the Myanmar coup "jeopardizes the peace, security, and stability of ASEAN and the wider region" and there are international calls for an end to the coup, the policy should not lead to inaction, according to AP.
Editor's note: This story has been update with additional information on the five-point consensus.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.