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Opinion | Myanmar’s junta is running out of time to make progress on Asean peace plan
- As the government is squeezed by internal opposition and external isolation, the fear is that it will take even more drastic measures to stay in power
- To avoid a deepening of the crisis, the junta must show a willingness to end all violence and cooperate with other regional leaders
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Ahead of the 55th Asean foreign ministers’ meeting in August, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen mulled over a “new approach” to the Myanmar crisis. The country’s junta government had just executed four political prisoners.
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Since taking power in 2021, it has shown no willingness to implement the Asean “five-point consensus”, which calls for an immediate cessation of violence. Popular protests against the junta have not led to any change in governance, and clashes between government forces and ethnic armed organisations have only worsened.
While Myanmar’s relations with China and Russia have seemingly improved, India and Japan have maintained a balanced engagement, urging an end to the violence and the return to a democratic path. Yet, as an insecure Naypyidaw is squeezed by geopolitical pressures, the risk of escalation grows.
The execution of political prisoners marks a deepening of the political and humanitarian crisis. With Cambodia serving as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for 2022, Hun Sen visited Myanmar earlier this year in an attempt to engage the regime. He later urged junta chief General Min Aung Hlaing to reconsider the death sentences.
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Myanmar junta’s execution of democracy activists triggers local and international outcry
Myanmar junta’s execution of democracy activists triggers local and international outcry
Now, however, Asean leaders feel compelled to revise or scrap the five-point consensus, while opening more channels of communication with the opposition National Unity Government (NUG). In a strongly worded statement, Asean expressed disappointment at the executions and reaffirmed its commitment to Myanmar’s return to normality. Many other countries, including Japan and the US, have also condemned the executions.
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