JAKARTA, April 7 (CNA) - Indonesia has made some progress on the provision of humanitarian aid in the ongoing crisis in Myanmar, since taking over as Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year, said Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

Jakarta has also continued to call for an end to the bloodshed and the use of force, and voiced concerns over the growing number of civilian casualties, she told the media on Wednesday (Apr 5).

Since taking the helm of the regional bloc, Indonesia has in the past three months facilitated the reopening of communication and consultation with various “stakeholders” on humanitarian aid to Myanmar, said Madam Marsudi.

This will allow the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) to provide aid to those who require it in Myanmar, regardless of their ethnic background, religion or political orientation.

Providing aid through the AHA Centre is one of the items on the Five-Point Consensus.

Mdm Marsudi said the development was a breakthrough.

“With this Indonesian facilitation, the AHA Center has succeeded in conducting consultations with several stakeholders, which previously could not be done,” she said.

The minister, however, did not specify who these stakeholders were.