Australia will continue to voice its concerns where human rights are undermined or violated in the region, the nation's top diplomat says.
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary Frances Adamson told the Asia Society on Wednesday the situation in Myanmar was "one of the sharpest challenges our region faces".
"Where the human rights of people are undermined or violated in our region, Australia will continue to voice our concerns," she said.
Ms Adamson described it as "a security, political and humanitarian crisis that is not only catastrophic for the people of Myanmar but imperils regional stability and enmires ASEAN in issues that divert attention from the priorities of economic recovery and strategic agency".
"We're engaging with our international partners to respond and doing what we can to support the people of Myanmar through our development program, without in any way conferring legitimacy on the military authorities," she said.
Myanmar has been in crisis since the military seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government in February.
The nation has seen a series of protests against the coup despite a brutal crackdown by the junta on dissent.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners says 738 people have been killed by security forces since the coup and 3300 people are currently in detention, including 20 who have been sentenced to death.
Australian Associated Press
