TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Foreign Ministry said that ASEAN will not interfere in Myanmar conflict.

“We, particularly Indonesia, will continue to provide support to Myanmar in the reconciliation process in their democracy, as well as an inclusive development process,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Armanatha Nasir said.

In an interview with Tempo after the ASEAN Parade in Jakarta yesterday, Armanatha said that despite ASEAN’s non-interference principle, its member states have a mechanism to help each other.

“We, ASEAN, give our backing to Myanmar in their democratic transition process. It’s a process,” Nasir said, adding that the bloc will work together without finger pointing.

The clash between Myanmar military and ARSA (The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army), also known as the Bengali rebels, the Rakhine state broke out on Friday.

The incident killed 80 rebels and 18 Myanmar military personnel, possibly the worst since the tension rose in October.

THE IRRAWADDY | BUDIARTI UTAMI PUTRI