Singapore: Asian leaders today again ruled out punishing military-run Myanmar with sanctions despite its bloody crackdown on dissent, saying their influence over the junta was negligible.

Southeast Asian nations plus their six regional dialogue partners, at the end of a summit here, also said punitive measures would only reinforce the junta s isolation and would not speed up the process of democratic reforms. "We have not been in favour of sanctions on Myanmar -- neither any of the ASEAN countries, nor any of the Asian countries," host Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at a closing press conference.

"Our influence on Myanmar is negligible. Our trade with them is negligible," he said of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which met here earlier this week before today s wider East Asia Summit talks.
Lee said that among the 10-nation bloc, only Thailand had significant trade with Myanmar -- in the form of natural gas imports much needed by Bangkok.

ASEAN has come under increasing international pressure, especially from the United States and the European Union, to rein in its errant member and punish it for September s violence.

Source : PTI