An expert working for the United Nations is urging Southeast Asian nations to take a different approach to resolving the crisis in Myanmar, saying the current one isn't working.

UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, spoke to reporters in Jakarta on Wednesday.

"The human rights situation in Myanmar is dire and it's getting worse," he said.

Andrews pointed to informal talks at the foreign-minister-level meeting hosted by Thailand this week. Myanmar's junta-appointed minister, Than Swe, was invited. Andrews said that can have a "dangerous effect" of legitimizing the junta. He said it's time to consider "alternative options" to break what has become "a deadly stalemate."

ASEAN members agreed on a five-point peace plan with the junta two years ago. It includes a call for an immediate stop to the killings and other violence.
But there's been virtually no progress.

Andrews' remarks come just as the US Treasury Department announced fresh sanctions on Myanmar's state-owned banks. The military has been buying up weapons for its crackdown on opponents, including many civilians.

The country's currency has been collapsing since the coup. The military sets the official exchange rate, but the real rate is much lower, creating a market for illicit trading. Several currency shop owners have been arrested for failing to trade at the official rate. Restrictions are making it harder for people to get dollars to protect their savings.