ASEAN tells Myanmar’s military rulers that peace should come first, not elections ASEAN news

Myanmar has been in turmoil since early 2021 when its military overthrew the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Southeast Asian countries have told Myanmar’s military government that its plan to hold elections amid an escalating civil war should not be its priority, urging it to start talks and end hostilities immediately.

Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Sunday urged warring parties in member state Myanmar to stop fighting and told the assembly’s representative to allow unhindered access for humanitarian aid, Malaysia’s foreign minister said.

“Malaysia wants to know what Myanmar is thinking,” Mohammad Hasan told a press conference after the ministers’ retreat on Langkawi Island.

Hasan said Myanmar – which was represented by a low-level Foreign Ministry official after its military leaders were banned from ASEAN meetings – informed the gathering of plans for national elections this year. But the bloc wants the Myanmar government to ensure peace before elections are held, he said.

“We said that the election must include everyone. The election cannot be done alone, it must involve all parties,” he said. “We told them that the election is not our priority. Our priority is to prevent violence.”

Myanmar has been in turmoil since early 2021 when its military overthrew the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking pro-democracy protests that turned into a nationwide armed uprising.

Despite suffering on many fronts, its economy in dire straits and dozens of political parties banned, the military government plans to hold elections this year, which critics have widely dismissed as a sham to keep generals in power through proxies.

Malaysia, chair of the 10-member bloc this year, announced the appointment of former diplomat Othman Hashim as special envoy to the Myanmar crisis, where the United Nations says humanitarian needs are at “alarming levels”, with nearly 20 million people – more. more than a third of the population – in need of help.

Mohamad said Hashim would visit Myanmar “soon” to convince all sides in Myanmar to implement ASEAN’s five-point peace plan, which has seen little progress since it was unveiled months after the coup.

Regional conflicts on the agenda

Hasan said the meeting also discussed the implications of the second term of the incoming American President Donald Trump in the region amid its conflict with China.

He said the ministers expressed concern that competition between the two countries could increase regional tensions. He said ASEAN ministers emphasized the urgency of strengthening regional unity and making economic integration a priority amid global uncertainty.

Tensions in the South China Sea, one of the world’s most important shipping lanes with an estimated $3 trillion in annual shipping trade, were also high on the agenda following violent disputes in the waters last year.

Vietnam and Malaysia have also protested the behavior of Chinese ships in their exclusive economic zones, which Beijing says are operating legally in its waters.

China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea. But ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, as well as Taiwan, also have overlapping claims.

China and ASEAN have committed to drafting a code of conduct for the South China Sea, but negotiations have moved at a snail’s pace.

Mohammad said the ministers welcomed the progress so far, but “underscored the need to continue the momentum to accelerate the behaviour”.

The foreign minister of the Philippines, a key ally of the United States, told Reuters on Saturday that it was time to start discussing “historical issues” about the code, including its scope, whether it is legally binding and its impact on third parties. -group regions.

Hasan said the ministers wanted to speed up negotiations between ASEAN and China on a code of conduct on the waterway. “We emphasized that the South China Sea must remain peaceful and stable,” he said.