‘Non-political Myanmar rep only’ for ASEAN meet

“Since there has been little progress in carrying out the 5PC, the ASEAN member states could not reach a consensus to invite Myanmar’s foreign minister to participate in the upcoming FM Retreat to be hosted by Cambodia. Therefore, we have asked Myanmar to send a non-political representative instead.

“Meanwhile, we encourage Myanmar to be represented at the Retreat by a non-political entity rather than leaving the seat empty. It is up to Myanmar to decide who that ‘non-political entity’ would be,” spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Chum Sounry told The Post on February 3.

Foreign minister Prak Sokhonn said last week that the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat will resume on February 16-17 following a delay in January due to the rapid spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

Cambodia, as the ASEAN chair, issued a statement on February 2, saying that one year on, ASEAN member states remained deeply concerned with developments in Myanmar, including reports of continued violence and deterioration of humanitarian situation.

The member countries have called on all parties in Myanmar to exercise the utmost restraint.

The statement added that the member states urged the Myanmar authorities to take specific action to effectively implement the 5PC reached at the ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting in April last year.

Prime Minister Hun Sen visited Myanmar in early January to meet with General Min Aung Hlaing, chairman of the ruling State Administration Council (SAC), who promised to extend a “ceasefire” throughout 2022 and called on all parties concerned to halt all violence and exercise the utmost restraint.

“The member countries wish to underscore the urgency of ending any conflicts as well as ensuring the safe and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance to those people most in need of help on the basis of humanitarian principles, neutrality, impartiality and independence,” the statement said.

Hun Sen added that it was important for all parties to maintain favourable conditions for a constructive dialogue in order to find a peaceful solution to the current crisis for the benefit of the people of Myanmar. The dialogue would also aim to achieve a quick return to normalcy to prevent prolonging the suffering of the population.

The statement said that all member states called on Myanmar authorities to facilitate the mission of ASEAN special envoy Prak Sokhonn, who will make his first visit to the country as soon as possible. He intends to meet with as many groups as necessary to move the implementation of the 5PC forward.

ASEAN member countries reaffirmed their commitment and readiness to assist Myanmar in accordance with the will of its people on the basis of the 5PC and the ASEAN Charter. Lasting peace and national unity can only be achieved if the political solution is inclusively sound – a solution that Myanmar “owns and leads” and which involves all parties, it said.

Heng Kimkong, a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland and a visiting senior research fellow at the Cambodia Development Centre, told The Post on February 3 it is essential that ASEAN member states are united and have the same voice on the Myanmar crisis.

“ASEAN needs to continue to put pressure on Myanmar’s current leadership to stop any violence against its people and meaningfully engage in negotiations to resolve the crisis,” he said.

By Ry Sochan