Thai officials on Thursday urged authorities in Myanmar to halt the violence and release political detainees as the military government continues its mass arrests and violent crackdown on anti-coup protesters. Myanmar has been roiled by protests and other acts of civil disobedience since the Feb. 1 coup that toppled elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s government just as it was to start its second term.

The coup reversed years of slow progress toward democracy in the Southeast Asian nation after five decades of military rule. Thailand’s plea came more than a week after Brunei, which heads a ten-country association ASEAN this year, issued its own chairman’s statement after a video conference attended by foreign ministers.

The statement called for an end to the violence and the start of talks on a peaceful solution in Myanmar. Thai Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Tanee Sangrat said the country is following developments in Myanmar with much concern. He also denied media reports that Thailand had turned back those who fled over the border and said the government was taking steps to prepare facilities in case there is an influx of refugees.