Finding unity over how to deal with Myanmar's military government continued to evade Southeast Asian nations, as foreign ministers meeting in Jakarta struggled to agree on a communique that would include a reference to their neighbour's internal strife.

Gathered in the Indonesian capital for their annual meeting, foreign ministers from the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) had been expected to issue a joint communique on Wednesday, but by early afternoon on Thursday, there was still no sign.

The cause of the delay was unclear but an ASEAN official said a communique was being finalised and would be released soon.

ASEAN, which includes Myanmar among its 10 members, has pushed, without success, for the implementation of a five-point peace plan agreed with the junta shortly after a coup in early 2021.

No Myanmar representatives were present in this week's meeting.

Myanmar's military officials have been barred from high-level ASEAN meetings due to the lack of progress on the plan, which calls for a halt to violence and talks between the military and its pro-democracy opponents.

Re-engaging with Myanmar junta The inability to exert more influence over the junta has fed long-held doubts about ASEAN's effectiveness as a regional political bloc. ASEAN chair Indonesia on Wednesday urged the group's foreign ministers to remain united in tackling the escalating violence in Myanmar. Malaysia, a vocal critic of the military government, urged ASEAN to strongly condemn Myanmar's actions, including violence. "I pressed for a stronger statement on this issue to be included in the joint communique of the ASEAN ministerial meeting," Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir said in a statement late on Wednesday. Rifts within ASEAN over Myanmar were highlighted when Thailand invited Myanmar military officials to a meeting last month aimed at "re-engaging" with the country. Most ASEAN members shunned the meeting, which Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai defended, saying his country was suffering in terms of its border, trade and refugee problems. Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam engaged with the military government in informal talks last year, while Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines declined to participate. Don said on Wednesday said he had recently met Myanmar's jailed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi. He is the first foreign official to be granted access to her since she was detained by the military more than two years ago. He said that during that meeting, the detained leader has expressed her openness to engage in talks to resolve the crisis gripping her strife-torn nation. Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government, made up of loyalists to Suu Kyi's ousted administration, has discouraged ASEAN from engaging with the military government unless it releases all political prisoners.