Southeast Asian foreign ministers have called for a “Myanmar-led and Myanmar-owned solution” to the crisis in Myanmar that began when the military seized power in a coup three years ago and has left thousands dead.
The call from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) came after a meeting on Monday of the 10-member group's foreign ministers in Laos, which was attended by a Myanmar official for the first time in two years.
The ministers also supported the efforts of Alounkeo Kittikhoun, Laos' special envoy for the crisis, to “reach out to interested parties.”
Myanmar was plunged into crisis when generals overthrew the elected government of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021 and seized power, responding with brutal force to mass protests against her rule and sparking an armed uprising.
Since then, more than 4,400 civilians have been killed and the military is holding nearly 20,000 people, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a local monitoring group.
ASEAN, which Myanmar joined in 1997, has been leading international diplomatic efforts on Myanmar but has made little progress since the so-called five-point consensus to end the crisis was unveiled at a summit which coup leader Min Aung Hlaing attended shortly after taking power. .
The generals have ignored the plan and have been banned from attending ASEAN summits and ministerial meetings.
Laos, a one-party communist state on Myanmar's northeastern border, chairs ASEAN this year.
Kittikhoun traveled to Myanmar earlier this month, where he met with Min Aung Hlaing and the two discussed “the government's efforts to ensure peace and stability,” according to Myanmar state media. Neither ASEAN nor Laos have commented on the trip and it is unclear if she met with any anti-coup groups.
The conflict has deepened since an alliance of anti-coup forces and ethnic armed groups launched a major offensive late last year in northern Shan state and western Rakhine.
The alliance claims to have overrun dozens of military outposts and taken control of key cities.
More than 2.6 million people have been forced from their homes during three years of fighting.
The military government has shown no willingness to start talks with its opponents and calls them “terrorists.” It has also accused ASEAN of interfering in its internal affairs.
Laos highlights commitment
The ASEAN statement did not detail whether the “Myanmar-led and owned solution” would involve discussions with the Government of National Unity, the administration established by elected politicians who were ousted in the coup, as well as pro-democracy supporters after the takeover. can. grab.
The military sent Marlar Than Htike, ASEAN permanent secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to the meeting in Laos, accepting for the first time ASEAN's invitation to send a “non-political” representative to the meetings.
Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith welcomed Myanmar's assistance.
“This time we feel a little optimistic that the compromise can work, although we have to admit that the problems happening in Myanmar will not be solved overnight,” he said.
“We are confident that the more we interact with Myanmar, the more understanding there will be… about the real situation that is happening in Myanmar.”
The crisis has caused friction within ASEAN, as some members push for a firmer line with the military and a compromise with the NUG.
A spokesman for Indonesia, which chaired the group last year, insisted that Monday's attendance was not a sign that policy had changed.
“It is true that a representative of Myanmar was present at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting in Luang Prabang. The attendance was not from any minister or political representative. Therefore, it remains in line with the 2022 agreement of ASEAN leaders,” Lalu Muhamad Iqbal told AFP news agency.
Lao Foreign Minister Kommasith told reporters that Thailand would provide more humanitarian assistance to Myanmar.
“We believe that humanitarian assistance is the priority for the immediate period when the five-point consensus is implemented,” he said, referring to the April 2021 consensus.
The plan calls for an immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, a dialogue between all interested parties, mediation by an ASEAN special envoy, the provision of humanitarian aid through ASEAN channels and a visit to Myanmar by the envoy special to meet with all interested parties.
Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos have a combined population of nearly 650 million people and a total gross domestic product (GDP) of more than $3 trillion.
Laos is the poorest nation of the group and one of the smallest.
It has close ties with China, with which it also shares a border.
