Photo/Illutration Protesters flee after police fired warning shots and used water cannons to disperse them during a protest in Mandalay, Myanmar, on Feb. 9, 2021. (AP Photo)

On Feb. 1 exactly two years ago, Myanmar's military staged a coup that has resulted in the deaths of 2,900 civilians and more than 13,000 people remain in detention.

Crackdowns on large-scale protests and severely restricted access to social media have combined with the nation's stagnant economy to leave a sense of hopelessness that pervades society. This despair has caused an endless stream of young people to flee the country.

The military is entirely to blame for the pain and despair inflicted on the people. The international community must pressure the junta into bringing democracy back to Myanmar by relinquishing the power they seized by force.

Deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who faced 19 charges after her detention by the military at the time of the coup, was found guilty on all counts when her trials concluded late last year. She was sentenced to 33 years in prison which, for a 77-year-old, is effectively a life sentence

In the meantime, the junta has started preparing for a general election, said to be held by August. The purpose couldn't be more obvious: Establish a military-led administration by steamrolling this election while Suu Kyi and other pro-democracy leaders remain ostracized.

The United States, Europe and Japan would never approve of this farce of a "transition to civilian rule." However, Min Aung Hlaing, commander in chief of Defense Services, is set to proceed, confident of gaining support from China and Russia.

This underscores the importance of the response of ASEAN, which Myanmar is a member. But Cambodia and Thailand are breaking ranks by softening their stances on the junta, which is cause for concern.

Indonesia, this year's ASEAN chair nation, has always taken a hard-line stance against Myanmar's military.

During the upcoming ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting, scheduled for later this week, we hope Indonesia will strive to lead the member nations into presenting a firm, unified front against the junta.

One thing that must not be overlooked is the dire plight of the minority Rohingya, who fled persecution in Myanmar and ended up as refugees.

According to the United Nations, the number of Rohingya refugees exceeded 3,500 last year, up 1.5 times from the year before.

These people first reached neighboring Bangladesh, from where they traveled by boat to other surrounding nations. Of those 3,500 people, about 350 have died or gone missing.

The overthrow of the democratic regime made it effectively impossible for Rohingya refugees to return home after losing their homes to the junta's "ethnic cleansing."

There are reports of oppression at refugee camps, too. No word can express the tragedy of rowing out into the open sea in a shabby boat, only to die.

Yet, it would not be appropriate to expect Bangladesh, which has only recently risen at long last from the ranks of economically strapped developing nations, to bear any excessive burden of refugee relief.

At present, the attention of the world tends to focus on the situation in Ukraine. But developed nations must not forget their obligation to keep supporting efforts to end the humanitarian crisis.

Japan is maintaining distance from the U.S. and European economic sanctions against Myanmar, but it is also starting to take a harsher stance by stopping, for example, accepting visiting students from the Myanmar military.

Japan is chairing this year's Group of Seven summit. We hope the government will play the role of coordinator of global public opinion.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 1

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