Malaysia has appointed a new ASEAN special envoy to Myanmar to try and implement the regional bloc’s stalled peace plan for the war-torn country.

By Danial Azhar LANGKAWI, Malaysia (Reuters) -Southeast Asian nations told Myanmar's military government on Sunday its plan to hold an election amid an escalating civil war should not be its priority,

ASEAN secretary-general Kao Kim Hourn said some of the foreign ministers on Jan. 19 also "called for the release of Madam Aung San Suu Kyi," the prominent pro-democracy figure who has been detained since the 2021 coup.

The regional bloc told a junta representative at a meeting that a poll is “not a priority at the moment," Malaysia’s foreign minister said.

ASEAN urges Myanmar's military leaders to prioritize peace over an election amid an escalating civil war :::: Langkawi, Malaysia :: Mohamad Hasan, Malaysian Foreign Minister "One thing that we know is that they want to have an election,