Myanmar threatens to skip Asean summit over junta’s exclusion

YANGON: Myanmar’s junta threatened on Monday to skip an Asean summit after the bloc said the country’s military chief could not attend over doubts about the government’s commitment to defusing a bloody crisis.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the generals ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a February coup, triggering nationwide protests and a violent crackdown on dissent. Earlier this month the Association of Southeast Asian Nations -- under international pressure to broker a diplomatic solution to the conflict -- excluded junta chief Min Aung Hlaing from a forthcoming leaders’ summit.