Jakarta, IO – ASEAN should adopt a piecemeal approach in engaging dialogue partners to collaborate on matters pertaining to the 5-point consensus.
ASEAN at the Fore Front in Resolving the Myanmar Crisis
It has been more than two years since the Burmese junta organized a coup that toppled Myanmar’s democratically elected government. The instalment of an unconstitutional caretaker government is widely regarded as an existential threat to southeast Asian regionalism.
As such, ASEAN has established the five-point consensus, calling for violence cessation, open dialogues, humanitarian assistance, appointment of special envoy and access to all relevant parties in the conflict. ASEAN has barred Myanmar from dispatching political appointees to ASEAN meetings. Personalized diplomacy is also utilized. However, Hun Sen’s cowboy diplomacy and Thailand’s informal talks with the Burmese junta failed to produce any diplomatic breakthroughs. With the exception of Prak Sokhonn’s appointment as ASEAN special envoy to Myanmar, there has been little progress throughout the 5-point consensus.
At the recent foreign ministers’ retreat, ASEAN acknowledged Myanmar’s worsening situation. To mitigate this, ASEAN plans to engage relevant parties to give the implementation of the 5-point consensus a harder push. But how should ASEAN work with relevant parties to materialize this goal given that not all of them are on the same page with ASEAN on the Myanmar issue?
This paper proposes how ASEAN can engage dialogue partners to bring about progress in the implementation of the 5-point consensus in Myanmar.
Establish Deeper Coordination with U.S and EU on the Myanmar Issue
As violence escalates unbated in Myanmar, U.S has sanctioned various entities involved in the coup, officials from the state administration council and those personally connected to Min Aung Hlaing. Recently, Washington announced fresh sanctions on Myanmar, mainly targeting entities from the state-owned energy sectors who financially backs the junta regime.
Likewise, EU has also imposed sanctions on Myanmar. This includes asset freezes, travel bans, and prohibition of all EU-related units in providing any forms of funds to any entities connected to the military junta. To date, EU’s sanctions on Myanmar targets up to 84 individuals and 11 entities connected to the junta regime.