Since the military putsch on Feb. 1, 2021, ASEAN has been sluggish in its response to the ensuing crisis, even after making demands for coup leader Gen. Min Aung Hlaing to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian relief and initiate an inclusive dialogue to bring the country back from the brink of what some analysts predict could become a civil war.

The top diplomats of nine ASEAN countries convened in Phnom Penh in a hybrid online-offline format for closed-door talks on various issues of regional concern, with the dire situation in Myanmar near the top of the list.

The retreat was previously postponed last month following a disagreement within ASEAN over the invitation extended to junta-appointed representative Wunna Maung Lwin, in defiance of a previous ASEAN agreement to allow only a nonpolitical member from Myanmar to join the talks.

With the absence of a representative to Myanmar this time around, the nine others put their heads together to plan the next steps for a more effective regional response.

The foreign ministers of Brunei and Thailand attended the meeting virtually, with Vietnam’s Bui Thanh Son joining them at the last minute after reportedly testing positive for COVID-19 upon arriving in the Cambodian capital.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi, who went to the meeting in person, said in a press briefing afterward that the ASEAN-9 expected some progress on the implementation of the leader-mandated Five-Point Consensus (5PC) formulated in Jakarta in April last year.

“Implementation is important for the people of Myanmar, for stability and peace in the region and for ASEAN's own credibility,” she told reporters via video link.

Furthermore, she said that having the military regime cease all violence and enable the special envoy to visit Myanmar to meet with all parties concerned could be the “first step” toward inclusive dialogue. Both points are among the demands set out in the ASEAN consensus.

Targeted mediation

Member states recently agreed to name Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn as the ASEAN special envoy to Myanmar, given his country’s position as the rotating chair of the association this year.

At the beginning of the year, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen visited Myanmar to meet Min Aung Hlaing but not other key stakeholders in the crisis, including ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and senior members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

However, earlier this month, the junta expressed a willingness to allow the Cambodian official to stage future meetings with members of the NLD, before it confirmed Myanmar’s absence from the Phnom Penh talks.

“Indonesia once again emphasizes the importance of having the ASEAN special envoy initiate contact with other stakeholders in Myanmar. It is important for ASEAN to hear directly their views and concerns,” Retno said.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah took to Facebook separately and said that the special envoy should also meet with representatives of the National Unity Government (NUG) and the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), which are part of a growing movement opposing the junta’s illegitimate reign.

The latter is a coordination platform comprising the NUG, elected parliamentarians, political parties and other groups from around the country.

Currently, the onus is on ASEAN to make a breakthrough on the Myanmar question, a point that was weighing heavily on the minds of Southeast Asians, according to a survey from the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute on the state of the region.

ASEAN chair Cambodia is expected to come out with a statement on behalf of all member states.

Not just Myanmar

However, the ministerial retreat was not only meant for discussing the situation in Myanmar. It promises a candid stock take of ASEAN’s most pertinent issues both internally and externally, which will inform subsequent decision making in the region.

During the meeting Indonesia also proposed two concept papers – one to strengthen ASEAN’s institutional capacity and ability to respond to complex challenges, and the other proposing ways to mainstream priorities espoused in the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).

“Indonesia believes that open and inclusive cooperation will improve welfare, and prosperity will contribute to efforts to create peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” Minister Retno exclaimed.

The proposals are to be followed up at the ambassador level in ASEAN, she added.

Other issues Indonesia raised at the meeting include the slow progress of the pandemic-era ASEAN Travel Corridor Agreement and plans for the group to attend a special summit hosted by the United States.

Retno also insisted that the results of negotiations with China on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea must be “substantive, effective and in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea”.