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ASEAN ‘losing momentum’ on Myanmar response
A number of former ASEAN figureheads have called for the bloc to seize on the opportunities to resolve the Myanmar political crisis while they still can.
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Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi attends the opening ceremony of the Yangon Innovation Center in Yangon on July 17, 2019. Detained Myanmar leader Suu Kyi on May 24, 2021 voiced defiance in her first public comments since being held in a coup, vowing her ousted political party would "exist as long as the people exist". (AFP/STR)
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SEAN is running out of steam in its regional response to the political crisis in Myanmar, with experts and former diplomats urging caution after nearly two months of hardly any follow up since Southeast Asian leaders put together a list of principles in Jakarta to pave the way for a collective solution.
The association remains the only regional body that has put constant diplomatic pressure on Myanmar’s armed forces after they illegally seized power from the civilian government on Feb. 1.
ASEAN leaders met in Jakarta on April 24 to press the coup maker Min Aung Hlaing for a solution. The leaders agreed to a five-point consensus demanding the junta stop all forms of violence and de-escalate tensions.
They also agreed to allow current ASEAN chair Brunei to appoint a go-between to mediate talks between Myanmar's military regime and the prodemocracy groups.
But patience is wearing thin in the international community after weeks of scant progress on the political crisis, despite near-daily outbursts of fighting between the opposing sides.
Read also: ASEAN awaits the appointment of envoy to Myanmar
While some experts argue that the way Myanmar's senior general Min Aung Hlaing tried to shape the implementation of the consensus in his favor only served to demonstrate ASEAN’s influence over the regime, there is growing impetus for ASEAN to seize on the opportunities it is given before it is too late.
