<p>Southeast Asian parliamentarians warned of the potential health risks&nbsp;following the&nbsp;the Ming Dih Chemical factory explosion in Samut Prakan and urged the Thai government to&nbsp;take immediate and long-term action to tackle the impacts.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As&nbsp;the ASEAN Secretary-General and a representative of the ASEAN Chair, Brunei, are&nbsp;<a href="https://aseanmp.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=88dabc094b65d7801c004ec98&amp;id=0be38daf70&amp;e=8250da8729" target="_blank">expected</a>&nbsp;to visit Myanmar this week, parliamentarians across Southeast Asia urge them to hold the military accountable for its blatant disregard of the five-point consensus, and to meet with all major stakeholders in Myanmar, <a href="https://aseanmp.org/2021/06/02/ahead-of-expected-visit-asean-must-hold-myanmar-military-accountable/">ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR)</a> said today.</p>

<p>One month since the ASEAN Leaders&rsquo; Meeting on Myanmar, parliamentarians across Southeast Asia urge the regional bloc to ensure the immediate and effective implementation of the Five-Point Consensus, and to hold the military accountable for its blatant disregard of the agreement.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Almost 300 sitting parliamentarians from around the world have&nbsp;<a href="https://aseanmp.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=88dabc094b65d7801c004ec98&amp;id=309a82ddee&amp;e=8250da8729" target="_blank">signed a statement</a>&nbsp;calling for the immediate and unconditional release of their colleagues in Myanmar, as well as all those arbitrarily detained since the February 1 military coup, and for democracy and the rule of law to be upheld in the country.&nbsp;</p>

<p>JAKARTA - 20 April 2021: Regional lawmakers have today called on ASEAN to extend an invitation to Myanmar&rsquo;s newly-established National Unity Government (NUG) for its special summit on the country, which will take place on Saturday in Jakarta, Indonesia.</p>

<p>The savage and cowardly acts of the Myanmar military over the weekend, during which an estimated 100 people, including children, were killed further highlighted the need for the international community to step up and take actions to effectively stranglehold the Myanmar military&rsquo;s activities, regional parliamentarians said on 29 March.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The state of emergency declared by the Thai authorities one year ago in an effort to curb the Covid-19 pandemic has been used as an excuse to crack down on fundamental freedoms and should be lifted, say regional lawmakers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On 2 March 2021, lawmakers from across Southeast Asia today urged the Myanmar military to immediately put an end to their campaign of arrests, unconditionally release all those currently detained, and refrain from using violence against peaceful protesters.</p>

<p>Following the military coup in Myanmar on Monday morning (1 February), Amnesty International, ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) have all issued statements of concern about the coup and the arrest of politicians and activists.</p>

<p>Parliamentarians from across Southeast Asia today called on President Rodrigo Duterte&rsquo;s regime in the Philippines to immediately end its vicious and dangerous campaign of &ldquo;red-tagging&rdquo; opposition lawmakers, which is part of widespread attempts to intimidate and silence opponents.&nbsp;</p>