The regional bloc is calling for an end to the use of violence against civilians as media reports say up to 100 people have been killed in Pa Zi Gyi.
Southeast Asian countries have strongly condemned the Myanmar army’s bombing of a village in the central Sagaing region, which killed dozens of people, including children.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) statement on Thursday came a day after Myanmar’s military confirmed the airstrike at a ceremony held by the National Unity Government (NUG), a parallel government, for a unit of its People’s Defense Force (PDF) militia.
The United Nations, the United States and others have already condemned the attack by the generals who seized power from the elected government in a February 2021 coup.
“ASEAN strongly condemns the reported recent airstrikes carried out by the Myanmar Armed Forces in the village of Pa Zi Gyi,” the regional bloc said.
“All forms of violence must end immediately, especially the use of force against civilians,” it said.
“This would be the only way to create a conducive environment for an inclusive national dialogue to find a lasting peaceful solution in Myanmar.”
According to media reports, as many as 100 people were killed on Tuesday morning when fighter jets dropped bombs on the community house. Witnesses said helicopter gunships followed, firing at survivors and hindering rescue efforts.
A villager speaking to AFP news agency estimated about 80 bodies had been cremated on Wednesday, with rescuers halting efforts to recover about 40 more bodies “because we feared more air raids”.
If confirmed, the attack would be the deadliest since the army led by General Min Aung Hlaing overthrew the government of Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party. Many of the legislators deposed by the generals are part of the NGG.
ASEAN, a 10-member regional bloc that includes Myanmar and has a long-held principle of staying out of its members’ sovereign affairs, is leading diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
But the regional bloc, which agreed a five-point peace plan with Min Aung Hlaing shortly after the coup, has made little progress.
The peace plan calls for an end to hostilities and an inclusive dialogue, but violence in the country has only escalated.
The attack in Pa Zi Gyi came days after fierce fighting in the southern state of Karen had forced thousands of people to flee across the border into Thailand.
Human rights groups say the conflict has claimed thousands of lives and led to the displacement of some 1.2 million people across Myanmar. Two years after the coup, PDFs and ethnic armed groups opposed to the military continue to deny it control of large parts of the country.
However, Min Aung Hlaing has refused to go along with the NGG, calling his opponents “terrorists” who want to destroy the country.
ASEAN has punished Myanmar for the lack of progress on the peace plan by excluding it from the bloc’s summits, but some members have called for tougher action.
The bloc is chaired by Indonesia this year.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, during a visit to the Philippines in May, said ASEAN must prove it is “relevant” to solve the crisis in Myanmar and called on the bloc to be more assertive.
“We can’t see this as a purely internal issue, so I’ve appealed to friends in ASEAN to say, look, we need to be tougher,” Anwar told the ANC news channel. “If necessary, engage the armed forces of this country, because sometimes the military junta doesn’t understand the civilian narrative.”
Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir expressed “concern” on Wednesday, saying Malaysia is “against any violence that is happening in Myanmar right now and that is the position of ASEAN as a whole”.