ASEAN to stick to Myanmar peace plan despite its failure to stop deadly civil war

CEBU, Philippines (AP) — A plan proposed five years ago by Southeast Asian leaders to end Myanmar’s civil war has failed but could still be used to help restore peace by engaging with leaders who emerge from its recent election, Thailand’s top diplomat said Friday.

The nationwide violence that followed the army’s forcible seizure of power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in February 2021 has become one of the biggest challenges and sources of embarrassment for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The 2021 army takeover was met by widespread protests which were violently put down by the army, leading to armed resistance and brutal fighting all over the country.

Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow acknowledged that ASEAN’s “five-point consensus” plan remains unimplemented.

However, he said in an interview with The Associated Press, “It should be a starting point for continued efforts on dialogue, reconciliation and as a part of a broader peace process.”

“We don’t seek to isolate Myanmar,” he said. “We seek to bring Myanmar back to the ASEAN family.”

The members of ASEAN proposed their peace plan in April 2021, largely because they were concerned about regional stability. To put pressure on Myanmar, its military rulers were barred from attending the bloc’s meeting.

Among other actions, ASEAN’s plan calls for an immediate end to fighting and hostilities, a dialogue among all contending parties that a special envoy of the bloc would help initiate and the delivery of humanitarian aid. Myanmar’s military government has allowed limited humanitarian aid on its own restrictive terms but ignored or rejected the other points.

If the new incoming leaders would allow the entry of badly needed humanitarian aid, “that’s positive,” said Sihasak.

If there would be moves to deescalate the tensions and violence, “we can re-engage with Myanmar more,” possibly by gradually lifting a restriction on the attendance of its leaders to annual ASEAN meetings, he said.

“Maybe to some degree, they can start to deescalate the violence. First, avoid attacks against civilians and also avoid the use of air attacks, which really affect civilians … these are the benchmarks for us,” Sihasak said.

ASEAN’s foreign ministers, in their first major meeting this year in the central seaside city of Cebu in the Philippines, decided Thursday they would stick with their five-point plan.

“We all reaffirmed that the five-point consensus remains the basis of our collective efforts to address and resolve the crisis in Myanmar,” Sihasak said. “We don’t seek to isolate Myanmar. We seek to bring Myanmar back to the ASEAN family.”

The still-unofficial results of the new polls give the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party a large majority of the seats contested, and assure the military, which is automatically granted 25% of the legislative seats, retains control over the government.

Although imperfect, the elections could serve as a new opportunity to encourage change in Myanmar, Sihasak said.

At the same time, ASEAN did not recognize the elections, the first since the army’s 2021 takeover, Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro said Thursday. The Philippines is this year’s ASEAN chair, giving it the most influential voice.

“Yes, as of now” Lazaro said when asked in a news conference if ASEAN would deny recognition to the election. She added that the bloc “has not endorsed the three phases of the elections that were held” over December and January. She did not suggest what could change ASEAN’s stance.