The chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations said Thursday that the group "strongly condemns" a recent airstrike by Myanmar's military that reportedly killed more than 100 people, including civilians.
"All forms of violence must end immediately, particularly the use of force against civilians," the ASEAN chair, which Indonesia holds this year, said in a statement.
"This would be the only way to create a conducive environment for an inclusive national dialogue to find a sustainable peaceful solution in Myanmar," it added.
The incident on Tuesday in a village in the Sagaing region was one of the deadliest military airstrikes in the Southeast Asian nation since the February 2021 military coup that overthrew the democratically elected national government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
The attack targeted an event attended by opponents of the military regime, according to media reports from Myanmar.
About 150 people were at a ceremony marking the opening of a facility linked to an anti-junta resistance group, the People's Defense Force, local media quoted residents of the area as saying.
The 10-member ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.
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