ASEAN ministers mull censuring Myanmar for hindering envoy

Southeast Asia’s top diplomats will discuss in an emergency meeting Friday whether to allow Myanmar’s military leader to attend an annual summit after a crisis envoy was barred from meeting ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Southeast Asia’s top diplomats will discuss in an emergency meeting Friday whether to allow Myanmar's military leader to attend an annual summit after a crisis envoy was barred from meeting ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations had appointed Brunei Second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof in August as its special envoy to mediate an end to the Myanmar crisis. However, he abruptly canceled his trip to the violence-wracked nation this week after being informed by his hosts that he would not be able to meet Suu Kyi and others as he wanted.

Myanmar officials have said Erywan couldn't meet with Suu Kyi because of criminal charges against her. The foreign ministry said in a statement Thursday it hoped Erywan would will seek to build trust instead of putting politically motivated pressure on Myanmar.

The 10-nation ASEAN bloc, which includes Myanmar, has been under intense international pressure to take swift decisive action to halt the violence that has reportedly left more than 1,100 civilians dead, to force its generals to free scores of political leaders led by Suu Kyi who were toppled in a Feb. 1 military takeover and to put the nation back on the road to democracy.