Cambodian leader to make controversial visit to Myanmar

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen begins a visit to strife-torn Myanmar on Friday that he hopes will invigorate efforts by Southeast Asian nations to start a peace process, but critics say will legitimize the rule of the military that seized power last year and its campaign of violence.

Hun Sen, whose country holds the rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, plans to meet with Myanmar's leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, in an effort to promote a five-point plan endorsed by the group last year and bring about a cease-fire.

“What I would like to bring to the talks is nothing besides the five points, consensus points that were agreed upon by all ASEAN member states," he said late Wednesday.

FILE - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen delivers a speech during a handover ceremony at Phnom Penh International Airport, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Feb. 7, 2021. Hun Sen begins a visit to strife-torn Myanmar on Friday, Jan. 7, that he hopes will invigorate efforts by Southeast Asian nations to start a peace process, but critics say will legitimize the rule of the military that took power last year and its campaign of violence. (AP PhotoHeng Sinith, File)

They include a halt to violence, talks with the opposition on a peaceful resolution, and permission for a special ASEAN envoy to meet and mediate with all parties in the conflict.

ASEAN leaders, including Min Aung Hlaing, agreed on those points last April. He was barred in October from attending ASEAN meetings after the group's envoy was prevented from meeting arrested opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other detainees.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, the current special envoy, said Hun Sen's two-day trip is warranted because the situation in Myanmar is deteriorating rapidly.

FILE - In this photo provided by An Khoun Sam AunNational Television of Cambodia, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, right, greets with Myanmar Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin at Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Dec. 7, 2021. Prime Minister Hun Sen begins a visit to strife-torn Myanmar on Friday, Jan. 7, that he hopes will invigorate efforts by Southeast Asian nations to start a peace process, but critics say will legitimize the rule of the military that took power last year and its campaign of violence. (An Khoun SamAunNational Television of Cambodia via AP, File)

“The political and security crisis in Myanmar is deepening and has led to an economic, health, and humanitarian crisis. We see that all ingredients for civil war are now on the table. There are two governments, several armed forces, people undergoing the civil disobedience movement, and guerrilla warfare,” Prak Sokhonn told the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute via videoconference on Monday.

Myanmar's military has said Hun Sen will not be allowed to meet Suu Kyi.

Critics and Myanmar's opposition say Hun Sen’s visit will add legitimacy to a military that is a international pariah with a history of bloodshed, including a brutal campaign against the Rohingya Muslim minority.

Protesters burn an effigy of State Administration Council Chairman Sen. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing and an image of Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen in Mandalay, Myanmar, on Jan. 3, 2022, during a rally against the upcoming visit to Myanmar by the Cambodian leader who is also the current chair of the ASEAN regional bloc. Prime Minister Hun Sen begins a visit to strife-torn Myanmar on Friday, Jan. 7, that he hopes will invigorate efforts by Southeast Asian nations to start a peace process, but critics say will legitimize the rule of the military that took power last year and its campaign of violence. (AP Photo)

It is considered unlikely that opposition groups, including those engaged in armed struggle, will readily accept ASEAN’s plan as long as the military remains in power.

“I expect that ultimately the progress or failure to progress will depend on domestic politics and domestic developments in Myanmar. And in fact, there is not much that ASEAN or the chairman of ASEAN can do,” said Astrid Noren-Nilsson, senior lecturer at the Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies at Lund University in Sweden.

Hun Sen's trip “is very good news for Myanmar’s military government, of course, a visit by a head of government from the region is in itself a legitimization of the junta government,” she said in an interview.

The army seized power last February, preventing Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party from beginning a second term in office. The party had won a landslide victory in national elections in November 2020.

In December, she was convicted on charges of incitement and violating coronavirus restrictions and sentenced to four years in prison — a sentence that Min Aung Hlaing then cut in half.

The military's seizure of power was met by nationwide nonviolent demonstrations, which security forces quashed with deadly force. The military has in recent months engaged in massive crackdowns, detentions, disappearances and extra-judicial killings. It has also launched air strikes and ground offensives against ethnic armed groups.

Security forces have killed about 1,400 civilians, according to a detailed tally compiled by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. As the crackdown became more severe, an armed resistance has grown.

“The people of Myanmar are clearly sending a very strong message that Hun Sen is not welcome in Myanmar. They are very upset that Hun Sen is actually providing legitimacy to the murderous junta which is actually terrorizing the whole country,” Khin Omar of Progressive Voice, a Myanmar civil society group, said in an online news conference hosted Thursday by the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights.

The National Unity Government, an underground opposition group and parallel administration, also urged Hun Sen to stay away.

“Meeting Min Aung Hlaing, shaking blood-stained hands. It’s not going to be acceptable," said Dr. Sasa, a spokesman for the group who uses one name.

Hun Sen, an authoritarian who has retained power by exiling or imprisoning his own opposition, may be hoping his visit will burnish his own tarnished international image.

Indonesian President President Joko Widodo said Myanmar's leader will continue to be excluded from ASEAN meetings unless some progress is made.

“Should there be no significant progress on the implementation of the five-point consensus, Myanmar should only be represented at a non-political level at ASEAN meetings,” Widodo tweeted after speaking to Hun Sen.

Associated Press journalists Sopheng Cheang in Phnom Penh, Edna Tarigan in Jakarta, Indonesia, Kiko Rosario in Manila, Philippines, and Jerry Harmer in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Allergy season can bring misery to tens of millions of Americans each year.

Tree, grass, and other pollens can cause runny noses, itchy eyes, coughing and sneezing.

Where you live and what you're allergic to can make a big difference in how bad your allergies are, but there are many things you can do to feel better.

Here are some tips from experts to keep allergies at bay — maybe even enough to allow you to enjoy the outdoors.

There are three main types of pollen. Earlier in the spring, tree pollen is the main culprit. After that grasses pollinate, followed by weeds in the late summer and early fall.

Some of the most common tree pollens that cause allergies include birch, cedar, cottonwood, maple, elm, oak and walnut, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Grasses that cause symptoms include Bermuda, Johnson, rye and Kentucky bluegrass.

The best and first step to controlling allergies is avoiding exposure. That’s easier said than done when it's nice out.

Start with keeping your windows closed at home and in the car, avoiding going out when pollen counts are highest and changing clothes when you get home. The same masks that got us through the pandemic can protect you from allergies — though they won't help with eye symptoms.

Pollen trackers can help with planning. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology tracks levels through a network of counting stations across the U.S. Counts are available at its website and via email.

You can't fight an enemy you don't know.

Since many Americans are allergic to several things at once, the first thing to figure out is what specifically you’re allergic to, said Dr. Nana Mireku, an allergist in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Over-the-counter nasal sprays can help relieve symptoms, but they take a while to kick in, so it’s best to start them in early in the season, said Dr. Rachna Shah, an allergist and director of the Loyola Medicine Allergy Count.

Antihistamines are another option. Shah said she’s seen some patients benefit from switching to a similar brand if one stops working, but said that there isn’t much broader data to back the recommendation.

For young children and people who have to take many different allergy medications, immunotherapies in the form of shots and oral drops can help desensitize the immune system to allergens, treating symptoms at their root.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America issues an annual ranking of the most challenging cities to live in if you have allergies, based on over-the-counter medicine use, pollen counts and the number of available allergy specialists. This year, the top five were Wichita, Kansas; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Greenville, South Carolina; Dallas; and Oklahoma City.

If you've been thinking it started earlier and seems longer this year, you're on to something.

Shah usually starts looking at pollen counts in the Chicago area in April. But this year, she peeked at her data in mid-February, and tree pollen was already at a “moderate” level.

“This season has been so nuts,” she said. “Granted, it was a pretty mild winter, but I didn’t expect it to be so early.”

Shah said she believes this season will be longer than other years, assuming the weather remains warm.

Experts say climate change has led to longer and more intense allergy seasons.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

FILE - Tree pollen pods lay in a pile at a park in the Dallas suburb of Richardson, Texas, Thursday, March 21, 2024. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America issues an annual ranking of the most challenging cities to live in if you have allergies, based on over-the-counter medicine use, pollen counts and the number of available allergy specialists. In 2024, the top five were Wichita, Kansas; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Greenville, South Carolina; Dallas; and Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

FILE - An oak tree with new leaf growth also shows pollen and a drop of water hanging among the branches at a park in Richardson, Texas, Thursday, March 21, 2024. There are three main types of pollen. Earlier in the spring, tree pollen is the main culprit. After that grasses pollinate, followed by weeds in the late summer and early fall. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)