(Reuters) -Myanmar faced growing criticism on Tuesday over a surge in violence against opponents of military rule that killed more than 140 people in one day, with a new offer to help promote dialogue by neighbours alarmed by the crisis.<\/p>\n
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army ousted an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, detaining her and reimposing military rule after a decade of tentative steps towards democracy.<\/p>\n
At least 512 civilians had been killed in nearly two months of protests against the coup, 141 of them on Saturday, the bloodiest day of the unrest, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) advocacy group.<\/p>\n
Fighting has also flared in old wars between the Myanmar army and ethnic minority insurgents in frontier regions and refugees are beginning to spill over borders.<\/p>\n
Western countries have condemned the coup and the violence and called for Suu Kyi\u2019s release, and some have imposed limited sanctions.<\/p>\n
Asian neighbours have been more guarded though Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have spoken out, and Indonesia did so again on Tuesday, while renewing an offer to help.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndonesia strongly denounces this kind of act. It is unacceptable,\u201d its foreign minister, Retno Marsudi, said while on a visit to Japan, referring to the surge in violence.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has led efforts by members of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Myanmar is a member, to encourage a negotiated solution, despite a bloc principle of not commenting on each other\u2019s problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile continuously respecting the non-interference principle, since the very beginning ASEAN offers is assistance to Myanmar,\u201d Retno said.<\/p>\n
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