LABUAN BAJO – South-east Asian leaders who gathered in Indonesia for the Asean Summit on Wednesday have denounced an attack by unknown assailants on a humanitarian convoy carrying diplomats in military-ruled Myanmar and called for an end to the violence there.

“We were deeply concerned with ongoing violence in Myanmar and urged the immediate cessation of all forms of violence and the use of force, to create a conducive environment for the safe and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogues,” the leaders said in a statement.

Myanmar has been plunged into civil unrest after a military coup on Feb 1, 2021, with thousands of civilians killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.

The convoy from the Asean Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management, or AHA Centre, was accompanied by an Asean monitoring team when they reportedly came under fire in Shan State in the eastern part of Myanmar on Sunday.

Indonesia and Singapore, whose officials were part of the convoy, had earlier condemned the attack.

The Asean leaders on Wednesday also called for the perpetrators to be held accountable, and expressed their support for the efforts made by Indonesia, which included engaging all stakeholders in Myanmar to work towards progress in the implementation of the Asean five-point consensus.

The peace plan called for a dialogue among all parties, an immediate halt to violence in Myanmar, the appointment of an Asean special envoy to facilitate mediation, Asean provision of humanitarian assistance, and a visit by an Asean delegation to Myanmar to meet all concerned parties.

Myanmar’s shadow government, known as the National Unity Government (NUG), said it welcomed efforts by Indonesia to kick-start the peace talks but was deeply distrustful of the junta.

NUG spokesman Kyaw Zaw told Reuters news agency that the junta was trying to mislead the international community, pointing to its failure to implement the peace consensus.

“The biggest obstacle to peace talks is the military junta,” he said. “The junta never keeps its promises.”

Asean has barred Myanmar’s military junta from attending any of the bloc’s high-level meetings due to its failure to implement the peace plan, inviting non-political representatives from Myanmar to attend instead.

The country’s seat at the summit on Wednesday was vacant as it did not send a non-political representative.

Indonesia is the rotating chair of the 10-nation regional bloc in 2023, and the host of the 42nd Asean Summit, a two-day meeting in Labuan Bajo, a fishing town in East Nusa Tenggara province. It is the first of two conferences, with the latter scheduled to be held in Jakarta in September.

In his opening remarks, Indonesian President Joko Widodo urged his South-east Asian counterparts to maintain the unity of Asean as a driving force to remain competitive and ensure peace in the region, amid rising geopolitical tensions.

He outlined some of the challenges facing the world today – the “global economy has not fully recovered, major power rivalries continue to sharpen, and global dynamics become more unpredictable”.

“This raises the question: Will Asean remain a spectator, will Asean remain silent, and will Asean be capable of being an engine for peace and economic growth?” he said.

Mr Widodo expressed his confidence that Asean would be able to rise above the challenges as long as it stays united.

Asean has “strong assets as the epicentrum of growth”, he stressed, citing its economy that “grows far above” the world’s average, a demographic bonus of some 668 million people, and regional stability.

“We are confident that Asean is capable as long as we hold a key element – unity. With unity, Asean will be able to be a central player in bringing peace and growth,” he said.

Mr Widodo urged Asean nations to continue to strengthen the bloc’s efforts, including enforcing inclusive cooperation, as well as strengthening economic integration, health architecture, food security and financial stability.

“Let’s work hard to realise Asean Matters: Epicentrum of Growth,” he said, referring to the theme of the summit.

Besides Myanmar, which was not represented at the summit, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was also absent due to the general election in his country that falls on May 14. He was represented by his Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai.

Meanwhile, Timor-Leste Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak attended the summit for the first time as an observer as his country seeks to join the grouping.

Speaking in Portuguese, Mr Taur thanked Asean leaders for their “unwavering support and commitment over the years” to realise the country’s top goal of becoming an Asean member.

He said: “I can stand here as Prime Minister of Timor-Leste and say, Timor-Leste will meet all its obligations for full membership in Asean.”

The road map to full membership for Timor-Leste and negotiations on the code of conduct for the South China Sea are among the issues on the agenda at the summit.