December 6, 2024
JAKARTA – Foreign Minister Sugiono will meet with fellow ASEAN foreign ministers and other officials in Thailand at the end of the month to discuss the situation in Myanmar, ministry spokesperson Rolliansyah “Roy” Soemirat said on Thursday.
Amid persistent violence in Myanmar and no real progress in ASEAN’s peace plan for the conflict-stricken country, Roy said the meeting, initiated by current ASEAN chair Laos, would discuss ways “to synergize” the bloc’s efforts to facilitate peace in Myanmar.
The meeting will include a discussion of how to implement ASEAN’s long-stalled Five-Point Consensus (5PC) for peace in the country.
Myanmar’s democratically elected government remains in the shadows in a crisis that has tested ASEAN’s reputation and integrity since the country’s 2021 military coup. The junta in Naypyidaw continues to conduct military campaigns against opposing factions.
Against this backdrop, ASEAN ministers plan to assess the developments in Myanmar, Roy told a press briefing on Thursday, asserting that the 5PC would remain the basis of the group’s efforts for peace.
“There is not any information about the meeting’s substance at the moment, but the troika members will continue to work with the mindset of keeping the 5PC’s relevance and other concrete steps to implement it,” Roy said.
In 2021, ASEAN members agreed to form a troika of the current chair, previous chair and upcoming chair to address the Myanmar issue.
The troika, currently consisting of Indonesia, Laos and Malaysia, will work to implement the 5PC, which calls for the immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, dialogue among all parties, the appointment and engagement of a special envoy and the provision and acceptance of humanitarian assistance.
At the coming meeting in Thailand, several informal consultations will take place among troika members and “troika plus” countries, defined as ASEAN members interested in participating in the resolution of the conflict despite not being part of the troika arrangement.
Thailand, which shares a border with Myanmar, is a prominent member of the troika plus, having in the past caused a regional stir for engaging with Myanmar’s junta outside of the group’s arrangements
“ASEAN countries are always open to hearing various ideas, including taking advantage of existing forums,” Roy said.
In implementing the 5PC, the bloc has also been adamant about its stance of non-interference, saying on multiple occasions that it would only play the role of facilitator and that all solutions would have to be “Myanmar-led and owned”.
Malaysia’ incoming chairmanship may see the group take stronger, more decisive action to address the crisis, as international pressure for the restoration of Myanmar’s democratically elected government continues to loom over the region.
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), for instance, filed a request for an arrest warrant for Myanmar’s junta chief last week, in a move welcomed by rights groups.
Members of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) welcomed the ICC’s arrest warrant bid in a joint statement and urged ASEAN to look for innovative ways to engage with Myanmar.
“With the start of a new ASEAN chairmanship, the regional body must end its pattern of shielding perpetrators of violence and perpetuating ineffective frameworks,” said Philippine House of Representatives member Arlene Brosas.
Indonesia has not yet made any statement on the ICC arrest warrant request.