Just recently, Prime Minister Hun Sen, who will soon assume ASEAN chairmanship, revealed his plan to visit Myanmar in his capacity as Cambodian leader to meet with the military junta officials next month. Surprisingly, he stated that State Administration Council representatives should be invited to ASEAN meetings, which contradicts the stance of ASEAN leaders.

The Myanmar junta was barred from the last ASEAN Summit as well as the China-ASEAN Summit despite Myanmar’s position as the coordinator. Indonesia has also maintained the precedence by not inviting Myanmar to the 14^th Bali Democracy Forum (BDF), scheduled for today.

While elucidating the reason to recognize Myanmar as a member of the ASEAN “family”, Hun Sen emphasized that no ASEAN member state had the right to expel another member under the ASEAN Charter, which according to him is a manifestation of the long-upheld non-interference principle.