TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

RI calls for Myanmar-led dialogue on crisis

Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Mon, April 26, 2021

Share This Article

Change Size

RI calls for Myanmar-led dialogue on crisis

I

ndonesia's top diplomat reiterated the importance of a Myanmar-owned and Myanmar-led dialogue on Sunday, a day after ASEAN leaders shored up a "five-point consensus" on the political and humanitarian crisis in the country following a meeting with coup leader Min Aung Hlaing.

Southeast Asia's leaders demanded the immediate cessation of violence, the start of constructive dialogue and access to humanitarian assistance in ASEAN's first in-person summit since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, exceeding expectations and giving credence to an organization often accused of aiming for the bare minimum of results.

The leaders met "as a family" and agreed to have current ASEAN chair Brunei appoint a special envoy for Myanmar, who will be assisted by ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi in mediating dialogue among all parties concerned in Myanmar.

After the meeting, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said he also demanded an immediate return to democracy, peace and stability in Myanmar and that the will of the people had to be a priority.

“An inclusive dialogue process must begin [and] political prisoners must be released,” he said in a statement that was echoed in separate statements by the leaders of Singapore and Malaysia.

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi reiterated the President's call the following morning, insisting that any constructive dialogue had to also involve those currently detained by Myanmar's military.

“Ideally, if we have dialogue it has to be an inclusive dialogue that is Myanmar-owned and Myanmar-led,” Retno said in a debriefing interview on Sunday.

The release of political prisoners remained a concern as more than 3,300 people are currently in detention, including journalists, politicians, civil servants, human rights defenders, medical practitioners and students. Myanmar’s deposed state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and president Win Myint are also among those detained.

While the point did not make it into the negotiated final text of the regional consensus, individual ASEAN member states including Indonesia called for it as a prerequisite for any meaningful dialogue.

Read also: ASEAN hopes to set up Humanitarian Task Force for Myanmar

Charles Santiago, chairman of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), said the release of political prisoners was a necessary requirement for the cessation of violence. 

“ASEAN must now act swiftly and set a clear timeline for Min Aung Hlaing to deliver on ending the violence, or stand ready to hold him accountable,” he said in a statement on Saturday.

The United Nations special rapporteur for the human rights situation in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, tweeted overnight that "the result of the ASEAN Summit will be found in Myanmar, not a document".

‪“Will the terrorizing of neighborhoods end? Will the thousands abducted be released? Will impunity persist? Anxious to work w ASEAN’s Spec Envoy & monitor Summit’s actual results,” he said on Twitter.

Separately, Myanmar’s recently established civilian shadow government, the National Unity Government (NUG), struck a more positive tone, saying it welcomed the consensus and called for the release of political prisoners.

“We look forward to firm action by ASEAN to follow up its decisions and to restore our democracy and freedom for our people and for the region,” NUG spokesperson Sasa said after the results of Saturday's meeting in Jakarta emerged.

Reports quoted the military-controlled Myawaddy TV as saying that Myanmar would closely cooperate with ASEAN on "the political transition in Myanmar, and the process that will be implemented in the future", among other things.

As junta leader Min Aung Hlaing was in Jakarta for his first overseas visit since the Feb. 1 putsch, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners monitor reported more injuries and nine more deaths at the hands of Myanmar's military, the Tatmadaw, from Friday to Saturday, bringing the total number of fatalities to 748.

Indonesia’s representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), Yuyun Wahyuningrum, said the next challenge was to ensure compliance by ASEAN and Myanmar in respect to their commitments.

“With one of the norms in the ASEAN Charter being good governance, the enforcement of the commitments should be carried out in a systematic and transparent manner. For the latter, Myanmar needs to develop a timeline and roadmap to implement them,” Yuyun said in a statement.

After weeks of lobbying, including with various key regional players, such as China, India, the United States and Russia, Saturday's summit was a clear diplomatic win for Indonesia amid the challenges of COVID-19 and the lingering skepticism of civil society organizations and human rights groups.

Jokowi proposed the meeting last month amid the deteriorating situation in Myanmar, and the results have won over even some hard-to-please ASEAN experts.

"Almost everyone was skeptical as to whether ASEAN could be united enough to deliver anything; even more so since it invited [Min Aung Hlaing] and some leaders [were] absent," Evan Laksmana, a senior researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta, said on Sunday.

"As it turns out, ASEAN delivers when many doubt it the most. Finding workable options [is] a lot harder than pointing out mistakes and flaws," he tweeted.

Michael Vatikiotis, a longtime observer of Southeast Asia and Asia regional director for the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, tweeted: "Humility is a much valued regional trait. All the same, kudos to Indonesian FM Retno Marsudi @Menlu_RI who early in the #MyanmarCrisis got on a plane in the midst of the pandemic and stirred her #ASEAN colleagues to action, and ploughed on despite resistance to regional action."

Read also: Discourse: Hopes fall on ASEAN to shore up commitment to Myanmar peace, expert says

Minister Retno said the summit displayed "the courage of ASEAN leaders to resolve the issue", although she insists it was the first of many steps and that the bloc had lots of work to do.

“The challenge now is how far and how quick we can follow up these five points of consensus," she said.

Out of the five points of consensus, the military junta is responsible for stopping the violence and deescalating tension.

“Without de-escalation, how can we have dialogue or humanitarian assistance? The people of Myanmar need a normal life without the threat of violence. This is fundamental, and the Tatmadaw has to follow up on this, while other stakeholders must commit,” she said on Sunday.

“ASEAN also needs to prepare for humanitarian assistance, which, of course, we cannot immediately send before we have done a needs assessment, which would take time but has to start soon."

ASEAN leaders have assigned the bloc's humanitarian aid agency, the AHA Centre, with the task to deliver aid to the people of Myanmar. The agency previously dealt with Myanmar in carrying out the repatriation of Rohingya refugees in 2018.

“The special envoy and [the AHA Centre] delegation shall visit Myanmar to meet with all parties concerned,” they said.

On Sunday, the Australian government announced a pledge of AU$5 million (US$3.87 million) to the AHA Centre for humanitarian relief. Other initiatives, including at the UN, are underway to support the ASEAN consensus.

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.