PHNOM PENH, June 16: Cracking down on militant violence and unprecedented criticism of the lack of democratic progress in member state Myanmar dominated the start on Monday of a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers.

Ministers of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) met in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, for two days of talks overshadowed by Myanmar’s detention of pro-democracy leader Aung Ms San Suu Kyi, the war on terror and a review of the group’s fundamental principle of not interfering in a member’s affairs.

“We are gathered here at a time of both anxiety and hope,” Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told the opening ceremony in a reference to worries about extremist violence and successes in the war on terror such as recent arrests in Cambodia and Thailand of suspected Islamic militants.

“Asean, as a result of the recent arrests of suspected terrorists, is no longer an easy theatre of operations for international terrorism,” Asean spokesman M.C. Abad quoted Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong as telling the ministers.

The talks precede Wednesday’s annual security gathering of the Asean Regional Forum that will bring US Secretary of State Colin Powell on a whirlwind trip to a region where he is anxious about the spread of extremist violence and has spoken against Myanmar’s detention last month of Nobel laureate Suu Kyi.

Ms Suu Kyi’s detention dominated and could herald one of the biggest policy shifts in Asean’s 36-year history. Several members are concerned about an issue that has embarrassed the group and are looking at breaking with basic principles to issue unprecedented public criticism of one of their own.—Reuters