Members of Myanmar's military security force patrol a street in Yangon. - Source: AFP/Getty Images
YANGON: Foreign ministers from Southeast Asia said they need to find stronger approaches to help resolve the crisis in war-torn Myanmar, as doubts grow about the military regime’s ability to hold onto power.
Top diplomats from countries including Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Laos and Singapore met in Bangkok on Friday (Dec 20), where they reaffirmed the so-called Five-Point Consensus on the worsening violence in Myanmar.
But they also conceded that the three-year-old framework hasn’t shown enough progress.
"The Five-Point Consensus remains the main reference for Asean’s efforts in addressing the situation in Myanmar,” Bolbongse Vangphaen, director-general of Thailand’s Department of Asean affairs, told reporters in a briefing. "All recognize that there’s the need to step up efforts to find approaches in line” with that agreement.
Despite the consensus on the need to do more, Bolbongse added that no decision was made on the exact way forward.
The gathering followed an informal meeting in the Thai capital on Thursday that saw a Myanmar junta-appointed official directly address representatives from the five countries it shares land borders with for the first time since the military took power in a 2021 coup, toppling a civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has been criticized for an approach to Myanmar seen as slow and ineffective. The Five-Point Consensus, adopted in 2021, calls for an immediate cessation of violence, talks among the warring parties and increased humanitarian assistance, among other issues.
The meetings this week underscored heightened concerns in the region about the prospects of bringing stability to Myanmar, with the junta increasingly under pressure as armed groups make gains in the north and west of the country.
Election Delay
On Thursday, Myanmar foreign minister Than Swe told representatives from the neighboring countries, including China and India, that the regime is on track to hold a general election next year.
But the junta’s efforts to hold elections - already delayed by more than two years - have so far been met with a lukewarm response from rebel groups and opposition leader Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party.
Asean is still awaiting further details from the Myanmar junta on its election plan, according to Bolbongse.
More than 6,000 civilians have been killed since the 2021 coup, with about 21,000 people still in junta custody. - Bloomberg
