Yangon, 8 September
ASEAN made a decision to maintain the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) agreed by ASEAN leaders to address the political crisis in Myanmar following military coup.
The 43rd ASEAN Summit in Indonesia announced eight reviews and ten decisions by ASEAN leaders on the implementation of Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar on September 5.
The ASEAN leaders expressed concern over the lack of significant implementation of the 5PC, which Myanmar’s military leader General Min Aung Hlaing himself had agreed to after almost three years.
ASEAN will continue to maintain the 5PC as a reference to address the crisis in Myanmar, and it is important to continue the safe and effective deliveries of humanitarian assistance throughout the country and hold a dialogue that includes all stakeholders to stop violence.
The ASEAN leaders also decided to replace Myanmar, which is slated to take over as the rotating chair of ASEAN in 2026, with the Philippines.
U Than Soe Naing, a political analyst, said, “The removal of Myanmar from the ASEAN chairmanship is progress, but that decision, in a way, recognizes that the military council will remain in place until 2026, and that we cannot accept this because it is inconsistent with the current situation. This gives the military regime a chance to prolong, and ASEAN needs to take more decisive action against the Myanmar military regime that has not implemented the 5PC”.
Meanwhile, ASEAN urges the Myanmar armed forces, including the junta army, to de-escalate violence and stop targeted attacks on civilians, houses, and public facilities, such as schools, hospitals, markets, churches, and monasteries.
It also stated that ASEAN continues to uphold the decisions of previous summits regarding Myanmar’s non-political representation at the ASEAN Summit and ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
On 5 September, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the military council objected to the ASEAN leaders’ reviews and decisions on 5PC, saying that other countries should not interfere in the internal affairs of ASEAN member countries.
News: Than Lwin Times
Photo: NBNC