ASEAN wants longer term for special envoy on strife-torn Myanmar

CEBU CITY — Senior diplomats of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are seeking a longer term for the special envoy in Myanmar, which has been plunged into turmoil since the military takeover in 2021.

The proposal being deliberated by senior officials of the 11-member bloc would ensure “continuity and sustainability in ASEAN’s efforts to address the situation in Myanmar.”

Myanmar was barred from assuming the ASEAN chairmanship this year as regularly scheduled due to the ruling junta's refusal to implement a peace plan, known as the Five-Point Consensus (5PC), agreed on by the bloc’s heads of state to stem the deadly civil strife in the country. Because of this, the Philippines assumed the bloc's chairmanship a year early.

“We looked forward to the conclusion of deliberation of the ASEAN Senior Officials on the proposal of a longer-term ASEAN Special Envoy on Myanmar to ensure continuity in the role in line with the mandate given by the ASEAN Leaders,” Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro said in a press statement delivered at the conclusion of the two-day informal ministerial talks at a seaside hotel resort in Cebu Thursday.

Lazaro recently met military and civilian leaders in Myanmar as the group's designated special envoy to the junta-ruled state.

ASEAN excludes junta leaders from attending its meeting, but allows non-political officials to represent military-ruled state, which has not been recognized by the bloc, but remains as its member.

Lazaro, who chaired the talks from Jan. 28 to 29, said the 11-member grouping failed to reach a consensus on whether to back the recently concluded polls in Myanmar even as “a good number” of its members were of the view that the process “might be something positive.”

However, she noted “a certain compliance” to a five-point peace plan resisted by the ruling junta may result to a shift in the bloc’s policy.

“We had candid discussions on the evolving developments in Myanmar and reaffirmed our commitment to advancing the implementation of the 5PC,” she said.

Myanmar recently concluded its third and final round of elections in a monthlong general polls called by the ruling military junta since the army ousted the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The military takeover sparked widespread opposition that led to a civil war.

“We noted that any meaningful political progress can only take place in an environment of peace, security, and inclusivity, supported by the cessation of violence and inclusive dialogue among all relevant stakeholders,” Lazaro said.

Founded in 1967, the ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Myanmar and Timor Leste. It has a principle of non-interference in domestic policies of its members and decides by consensus.