US, Australia urge cessation of violence in Myanmar, call for release of political prisoners
Sep 17, 2021
Washington [US], September 17 : The US and Australia urged a cessation of violence in Myanmar and called for the release of political prisoners along with those arbitrarily detained by the military following the coup.
The developments came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin hosted Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women Marise Payne and Minister for Defence Peter Dutton on Wednesday in Washington D.C. for the 31st Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN 2021), a statement from the US Department of State informed.
The principals also called for a swift return to democracy, inclusive dialogue between all parties, and immediate, unimpeded humanitarian access in the country.
The people detained by the military also include Australian Professor Sean Turnell and US journalist Danny Fenster.
Meanwhile, both sides expressed support for the mandate of the Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar and encouraged ASEAN to hold Myanmar accountable to the Five-Point Consensus.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the coup on February 1, when the Myanmar military led by Senior General Ming Aung Hlaing overthrew the civilian government and declared a year-long state of emergency. The coup triggered mass protests and was met by deadly violence.
