Negotiations for stability in Myanmar must involve jailed ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, said Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. - PHOTO: REUTERS
JAKARTA (The Straits Times/ANN): Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Friday urged that ousted Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi be released from prison, as Asean foreign ministers wrapped up this week’s series of meetings with calls for unity.
Dr Balakrishnan noted that Singapore has made such calls before, and that negotiations for stability in Myanmar must involve Ms Suu Kyi, who is currently serving a 33-year sentence in Myanmar’s capital of Naypyitaw.
“If you’re going to have real heart-to-heart negotiations between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the military authorities, it cannot be conducted while she is detained in a prison facility,” he told Singapore media.
His remarks came after Thailand’s outgoing Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai revealed on Wednesday that he had met Ms Suu Kyi, who was in good health, and that she had told him that there should be engagement with Myanmar’s military junta to resolve the crisis.
To this, Dr Balakrishnan said that the visit was not an “Asean trip” and that the Thai minister had made it on his own.
Since Ms Suu Kyi was incarcerated 2½ years ago, she had been in isolation without any access to the media, but remains the “key pivot” for any solution to the Myanmar crisis, added Dr Balakrishnan.
“You can’t have any solution without her participation. Is this one visit, one interaction, sufficient? No, I don’t believe it is. In fact, if you go back to the five-point consensus (5PC), what it calls for is that the special envoy of Asean will visit Myanmar and will be given access to all stakeholders, which must include Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,” he said.
Dr Balakrishnan joined his Asean counterparts in reiterating that the implementation of the peace plan remains the bloc’s priority to help Myanmar, which has plunged into a crisis after the country’s military junta launched a coup against its democratically elected government in February 2021.
The consensus called for a dialogue among all parties, an immediate halt to violence in Myanmar, the appointment of an Asean special envoy to facilitate mediation, humanitarian assistance and a visit by an Asean delegation to Myanmar to meet all concerned parties.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on Friday that Indonesia’s engagements with all stakeholders in Myanmar have received full support, not only from Asean countries but also partner countries.
Asean nations have agreed to push for an inclusive dialogue among the stakeholders in Myanmar, she added.
They also condemned the continued use of force there and appreciated the progress in the distribution of humanitarian aid.
“The issue of Myanmar is very complex. Asean has to do the right things in accordance with the 5PC. Indonesia as chair will continue to do the right thing. And we have to do the right thing for the people of Myanmar,” she said at a press conference.
A joint communique issued late on Thursday said that a number of Asean countries viewed Thailand’s recent activities in Myanmar as a positive development, but also reiterated that any efforts should be “in line with 5PC and in coordination with the Chair of Asean”.
Ms Retno described the sessions held over the past four days at the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and related meetings as “very open and dynamic”.
As the rotating chair of the 10-nation bloc, Indonesia strives to be “a good listener”, “a good bridge builder”, and provides a comfortable space for all to talk, she said.
Among several successes she highlighted were the agreement on the guidelines to expedite the Code of Conduct negotiations in the South China Sea and the adoption of the concept paper on the development of the Asean Maritime Outlook (AMO).
The AMO will serve as a tool to help understand regional maritime trends, strengthen synergies, and avoid duplication of work among maritime-relevant bodies, mechanisms, and processes in Asean.
Unity was the central theme in the meetings.
During a courtesy call by the foreign ministers to Indonesia President Joko Widodo on Friday, he told them that these meetings were meant to resolve problems, not exacerbate them.
Stressing unity, he said that Asean needs real cooperation and support from Asean partners and guests to resolve regional and global problems.
Quoting a Javanese saying, “menang tanpo ngasorake”, which roughly means to win without embarrassing or destroying others, he said: “Let us be honourable winners, to win without ngasorake.”
Earlier in the day, Asean also held the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (EAS) and the Asean Regional Forum.
At the EAS meeting, Ms Retno also said that differences among members should not divide, but instead be turned into strengths to build a peaceful, stable and inclusive region.
“The Indo-Pacific must not be another battleground. Our region must remain stable, and we intend to keep it that way,” she added. - The Straits Times/ANN
