* Activists do not accept deal junta reached with ASEAN
* No let-up in protests, organisers say
* Three killed in clash on Saturday in western town
(Adds clash on Saturday, ASEAN statement changed)
April 25 (Reuters) - Myanmar's pro-democracy activists
sharply criticised an agreement between the country's junta
chief and Southeast Asian leaders to end a violent post-coup
crisis and vowed on Sunday to continue protesting.
Some scattered protests took place in Myanmar's big cities
on Sunday, a day after the meeting of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with Senior General Min Aung
Hlaing in Indonesia reached a consensus to end the turmoil in
Myanmar, but gave no timeline.
"Whether it is ASEAN or the U.N., they will only speak from
outside saying 'don't fight but negotiate and solve the issues'.
But that doesn't reflect Myanmar's ground situation," said Khin
Sandar from a protest group called the General Strikes
Collaboration Committee.
"We will continue the protests," she told Reuters by phone.
According to a statement from ASEAN chair Brunei, a
consensus was reached in Indonesia's capital Jakarta on five
points - ending violence, constructive dialogue among all
parties, a special ASEAN envoy, acceptance of aid and a visit by
the envoy to Myanmar.
The five-point consensus did not mention political
prisoners, although the statement said the meeting heard calls
for their release.
A draft statement circulating the day before the summit
included the release of political prisoners as a consensus
point, said three sources familiar with the document. But in the
final statement, the language on political prisoners was
unexpectedly watered down, they added. As Saturday's statement was issued in Jakarta, at least
three soldiers were killed and several injured in an armed clash
with a local militia in the town of Mindat in western Myanmar,
the Chin state Human Rights Organisation said.
The militia, armed with hunting rifles, attacked the troops
after several protesters were arrested, it said.
ASEAN leaders had wanted a commitment from Min Aung Hlaing
to restrain his security forces, which the Assistance
Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) says have killed 748
people since a civil disobedience movement erupted to challenge
his Feb. 1 coup against the elected government of Aung San Suu
Kyi.
AAPP, a Myanmar activist group, says over 3,300 are in
detention.
"We realized that whatever the outcome from the ASEAN
meeting, it will not reflect what people want," said Wai Aung a
protest organiser in Yangon. "We will keep up protests and
strikes till the military regime completely fails."
'SLAP ON THE FACE'
Several people took to social media to criticise the deal.
"ASEAN's statement is a slap on the face of the people who
have been abused, killed and terrorised by the military," said a
Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) user called Mawchi Tun. "We do not need your help with
that mindset and approach."
Aaron Htwe, another Facebook user, wrote: "Who will pay the
price for the over 700 innocent lives?"
Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch,
said it was unfortunate that only the junta chief represented
Myanmar at the meeting.
"Not only were the representatives of the Myanmar people not
invited to the Jakarta meeting but they also got left out of the
consensus that ASEAN is now patting itself on the back for
reaching," he said in a statement.
"The lack of a clear timeline for action, and ASEAN's well
known weakness in implementing the decisions and plans that it
issues, are real concerns that no one should overlook."
The ASEAN gathering was the first coordinated international
effort to ease the crisis in Myanmar, an impoverished country
that neighbours China, India and Thailand and has been in
turmoil since the coup. Besides the protests, deaths and
arrests, a nationwide strike has crippled economic activity.
Myanmar's parallel National Unity Government (NUG),
comprised of pro-democracy figures, remnants of Suu Kyi's ousted
administration and representatives of armed ethnic groups, said
it welcomed the consensus reached but added the junta had to be
held to its promises.
"We look forward to firm action by ASEAN to follow up its
decisions and to restore our democracy," said Dr. Sasa,
spokesman for the NUG.
Besides the junta chief, the leaders of Indonesia, Vietnam,
Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and Brunei were at the meeting,
along with the foreign ministers of Laos, Thailand and the
Philippines. The NUG was not invited but spoke privately to some
of the participating countries before the meeting.