Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, the current rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has enraged Myanmar people for the second time after lecturing them that opposing his efforts to promote the military regime's "peace talks" risked destroying their country and killing innocent people. 

        Hun Sen is now in Washington for the United States-ASEAN Summit. "Myanmar's Senior General Min Aung Hlaing urged the ASEAN chair to negotiate with the other armed factions to sign a ceasefire agreement," he said during a meeting with Cambodians residing in the United States and Canada. As a result, I would want to urge to any Myanmar protestors planning to demonstrate against me to refrain from doing so. Otherwise, their own nation will be destroyed, and innocent people will be killed," according to Fresh News.

        Myanmar has been in social and political instability since the military takeover in February last year, as citizens across the nation reject military authority in various ways ranging from peaceful protest to armed warfare. So far, the junta has killed over 1,800 people and is facing massive armed opposition from some of the country's most strong ethnic armed groups. Its ties with ASEAN have deteriorated as the administration has failed to implement the bloc's Myanmar peace plan.

        Hun Sen has been seeking to negotiate good ties between the regional body and the dictatorship since gaining the ASEAN chair early this year. In January, he traveled to Myanmar and met with regime head Min Aung Hlaing for the first time. Myanmarese citizens slammed his visit, seeing it as lending legitimacy to the government, which has been criticized globally for its coup and brutality against demonstrators.

        The Cambodian prime minister's words on Thursday come after the administration attempted to persuade the country's ethnic armed groups (EAOs) not to join opposition forces by inviting them to peace negotiations.A majority of the EAOs have stated that they would not participate in the discussions since they will exclude significant parties such as Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government (NUG) and its military branch, the People's Defense Forces (PDFs). The invitation is seen by many in Myanmar as a ruse designed to drive a wedge between the resistance forces and those EAOs that have backed the anti-regime movement. 

        Hun Sen's irresponsible remark on Thursday drew widespread censure. On Twitter, NUG Acting President Duwa La Shila expressed his disappointment with Hun Sen's remark, calling it "insulting Myanmar people who resist the criminal junta's phony peace negotiations." The Cambodian prime minister received worse replies on Myanmar's most popular social media network, Facebook. "WTF does he think he's saying!" said one person.

        "[Hun Sen] indicates who is Myanmar people's friend and adversary," another added. The ASEAN chair's words, according to a local political expert, reveal that he has no knowledge what is going on in Myanmar and that he is being exploited by Min Aung Hlaing. "People and EAOs are demonstrating because they don't believe in the regime, but it doesn't mean they don't want peace," he explained.

        The EAOs avoided the meetings, he added, since they were aware that the dictatorship was attempting to persuade them to crush the PDFs. 

        "They [the regime] will resort to ethnic armed groups when they [the regime] seize control of the PDFs." The EAOs are fully aware of this, which is why they have declined the offer," he added, alluding to the former regime's so-called peace process in the 1990s, which saw it deal with several ethnic armed groups in the aftermath of the 1988 pro-democracy movement. Peace negotiations with several major EAOs faltered after they assumed complete control of the nation, and violence resumed.

        When asked if Hun Sen's desire for EAOs to participate in the peace negotiations this time, as Min Aung Hlaing had demanded, the political analyst answered, "Not at all." The EAOs will not believe him [Hun Sen] since he is a tyrant himself!"

        Min Aung Hlaing and Hun Sen had a teleconference recently. Min Aung Hlaing is believed to have used the conversation to persuade Hun Sen to push the EAOs to join the peace negotiations, based on the Cambodian prime minister's words on Thursday.