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View all search resultsFive years on, ASEAN’s Myanmar dilemma persists
A lack of unity within the bloc and inconsistent engagement among member states signal fatigue, divided and uncertain approach from ASEAN in handling Myanmar’s conflict, analysts have said.
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A demonstrator looks on as others holds placards that read “Say no, just trap - Myanmar's sham election crap“ during a rally outside the Myanmar embassy in Tokyo, Japan on Dec. 28, 2025 protesting against Myanmar's general election staged by the country's military government. Myanmar's heavily restricted polls began on Dec. 28, with the ruling junta touting the exercise as a return to democracy five years after it ousted the last elected government, triggering renewed nationwide conflict. (AFP/Philip Fong)
F
ive years after the military coup that dismantled democracy and triggered instability in Myanmar, ASEAN has yet to make headway in resolving its dilemma on the conflict, with the latest regional meeting again exposing divisions among member states on the issue.
Myanmar just had its first general election, five years after the military overturned the elected civilian government. The election was widely criticized, as it was held amid the exclusion of major opposition parties, tight curbs on dissent and escalating armed fighting.
The poll was later followed by an extension of state of emergency in 63 townships that was first imposed in July 2025, as reported by The Irrawaddy.
The latest developments may mark the start of a more dangerous phase in Myanmar, analysts said, that is marked by hardening resistance by the junta while further entrenching the instability that has strained the country’s political order and regional diplomacy.
“As the junta seek to reassert control over the country, resistance by anti-junta, pro-democracy groups may persist in some regions, with a potential to escalate into civil wars,” said Jakarta-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) researcher Lina Alexandra.
“If a larger conflict erupts, there could be war in our own backyard. This remains an unresolved regional crisis.”
Read also: Myanmar election delivers victory for military-backed party amid civil war
