PHNOM PENH, June 17: Southeast Asian foreign ministers called for the early release of Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday as the United States warned of a tougher stand against Yangon for blocking democratic reforms.

ASEAN ministers “looked forward to the early lifting of restrictions” placed on Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD (National League for Democracy) members arrested following violence in the country’s north last month, a joint statement released at the conclusion of the talks said.

The statement from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ministers marked an unprecedented departure from their policy of non-interference in members’ domestic affairs.

ASEAN faces embarrassment on the international stage for its implicit support of the brutal Myanmar regime through its non-interference policy, which critics charge weakens the grouping, comprising Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Aung San Suu Kyi was put under what the junta has termed “protective custody” in a military camp outside Yangon following a May 30 attack on her supporters by a junta-backed mob, which is feared to have left dozens dead.

Her arrest has prompted a chorus of outrage among world leaders, led personally by US President George W. Bush.

Both the United States and Europe have introduced tougher sanctions against the military-ruled nation since the Nobel peace laureate’s detention, while Japan has warned Myanmar that it may suspend economic aid over the issue.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who arrived here late on Tuesday ahead of regional security talks, warned of the US taking a harder line against Myanmar.

Powell said the United States had thought there would be movement in the democratic process in Myanmar, “but all of that has now been blocked by the government and they are moving backwards.

“It is necessary for us to take a harder line with Burma,” he said, referring to Myanmar by its former name.

During their talks ministers also agreed to send a high-level delegation to the country in a bid to press ahead with the national reconciliation process, Filipino foreign minister Blas Ople revealed.

“In principle, we are going to send a high-level mission from ASEAN.

“It is a proposal but everybody was supportive,” Ople told reporters.—AFP