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Indonesia frustrated at ASEAN progress on Myanmar
Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi touted on Thursday the urgent need to have the junta give access to the ASEAN special envoy to carry out his mandate.
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ndonesia’s top diplomat has expressed concerns that ASEAN’s attempt to roll back the coup in Myanmar might move at an even slower pace than the time taken to appoint a mediator to handle the crisis, one that has now persisted for seven months.
Myanmar’s armed forces, the Tatmadaw, have escaped international scrutiny relatively unscathed after ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February, despite taking the reins of a faltering economy faced with a global health crisis and opposition by the people.
The military takeover has sparked daily protests leading to hundreds of deaths and thousands displaced by fighting between the army and local militias.
Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi touted on Thursday the urgent need for the junta to give access to the ASEAN special envoy to carry out his mandate.
A month ago, the 10-nation association tasked Brunei’s senior diplomat Erywan Yusof to mediate talks between the military rulers and prodemocracy protesters and follow a Five-Point Consensus to bring an end to the hostilities.
The appointment itself dragged on over months of diplomatic squabbles before the region’s top diplomats settled on one of its own to lead the mission in Myanmar.
While the appointment process itself was very slow, Retno said it was still a step forward for the implementation of the consensus document, agreed upon by ASEAN leaders when they met in Jakarta in April.
She said the main challenge now for the envoy was to secure access to speak with all parties involved and visit all regions in Myanmar safely, so that Erywan could facilitate an inclusive dialogue as mandated by the region’s leaders.
“Seeing the current developments in Myanmar, ensuring this access will be a bigger challenge than the nomination [of the special envoy] itself,” she told lawmakers at a working meeting with House of Representatives Commission I overseeing foreign affairs, on Thursday.
“If the Myanmar military junta does not grant him access, it will not be possible for the envoy to do his job.”
The choice of mediator itself was widely criticized, especially after a botched visit to Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw in June, when Erywan, alongside ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi, met with coup maker Min Aung Hlaing to discuss candidates for the special envoy.
Indonesia, which at the time nominated former foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda for the task, lamented the lack of transparency over the visit, while the junta interpreted it as an open invitation to pick its preferred candidate. The nomination of Erywan was considered a compromise to end any disagreements.
Retno said Indonesia would continue to urge the junta to provide access to the special envoy, while at the same time maintaining open communication with Erywan. The special envoy is due to make his first report on the mission to the other eight ASEAN foreign ministers this month, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Additionally, Indonesia committed to offer US$200,000 of assistance in the form of medical equipment for Myanmar at a pledging conference last month, the minister said.
The first shipment of humanitarian aid is scheduled to be delivered this month.
For its diplomatic approach to the Myanmar situation, regional powers have chosen to back ASEAN’s efforts, even though some countries have taken a softer line on the dispute.
China’s officials, for instance, have already made inroads with the junta leadership.
Beijing’s special envoy for Asian affairs, Sun Guoxiang, visited Myanmar last week at the invitation of the military regime to discuss the “political landscape in Myanmar,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.
“We hope that all parties and groups in Myanmar will proceed from the long-term interests of the country and people, and seek a proper solution through political dialogue within the constitutional and legal framework,” he said in a statement on Tuesday published on the ministry website.
The spokesperson added that China supported Myanmar in working together with ASEAN to implement the Five-Point Consensus but opposed “undue external intervention”.
