BANGKOK, Thailand -- Myanmar's army commander will not attend a meeting of the region's army chiefs later this month because he needs to monitor the ongoing crisis at home, senior Thai military officials said Monday.
Army commanders from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations will gather in Thailand from Nov. 19-22.
Gen. Maung Aye, the Myanmar army chief, "has his own reason for not attending the meeting and it is not appropriate for me to reveal the reason," Thai army commander, Gen. Anupong Paojinda, told a news conference. He was expected to be represented by another high-ranking army official.
A Thai general, speaking on condition of anonymity citing protocol, said the Myanmar army chief was needed at home, where the military junta violently suppressed pro-democracy protests several weeks ago.
The junta has faced global criticism for ordering troops to fire on crowds of peaceful protesters and for its continued detention of Buddhist monks and activists who led the rallies.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. It admitted Myanmar in 1997 despite strong opposition from Western nations.
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