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ASEAN mulls Myanmar junta leader’s summit attendance amid Suu Kyi row

Myanmar’s military leaders barred ASEAN special envoy Erywan Yusof from meeting deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, prompting some bloc members to threaten to block junta chief Min Aung Hlaing from a summit.

AP

Flags of member countries fly at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 22, 2021.

Southeast Asia’s top diplomats will discuss in an emergency meeting whether to allow Myanmar's military leader to attend an annual summit after a crisis envoy was barred from meeting ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

ASEAN foreign ministers on Friday will consider a number of proposals, including allowing Min Aung Hlaing to attend the meetings without letting him speak, or prohibit him from attending but permitting a lower-level civilian representative to attend in his place, a Southeast Asian diplomat said.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity for lack of authority to discuss the issue publicly.

The proposal comes after Association of Southeast Asian Nations had appointed Brunei Second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof in August as its special envoy to mediate an end to the Myanmar crisis.

However, he abruptly canceled his trip to the violence-wracked nation this week after being informed by his hosts that he would not be able to meet Suu Kyi and others as he wanted.

Myanmar officials have said Erywan couldn’t meet with Suu Kyi because of criminal charges against her.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said on Friday he was informed that Erywan may now aim to visit Myanmar next Monday, ahead of the October 26-28 ASEAN summit meetings.

“This evening, we will be looking at the details of the proposed visit. If there is no real progress, then Malaysia’s stance will remain, that we will not want the general to be attending the summit. No compromise on that," he said.

The 10-nation ASEAN bloc has been under intense international pressure to take decisive action to force member state Myanmar to free scores of political figures, including former leader Suu Kyi, who was toppled in a February 1 military takeover, and to put the nation back on the road to democracy. Violence in Myanmar has reportedly left more than 1,100 civilians dead since the generals overthrew Suu Kyi's government.

Calls for junta to let envoy meet ousted civilian leader

Eight countries and the EU diplomatic chief have urged the Myanmar junta to let a regional special envoy meet ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The call on Friday comes as concerns grow over the military government's commitment to a "five-point consensus" agreed with regional bloc ASEAN to defuse the bloody crisis that erupted after Myanmar's February 1 coup.

In a joint statement, the US, Britain, Australia, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, Norway and East Timor say they are "deeply concerned about the dire situation in Myanmar" and urged Naypyidaw to "engage constructively" with the special envoy.

Democratic setbacks may trigger regional instability

Allowing Myanmar's Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to attend the ASEAN summit, which will take place by video, could be perceived as recognition of the military takeover that abruptly halted one of Asia’s most phenomenal democratic transitions in recent history after decades of military rule. Among world leaders due to attend the summit is President Joe Biden, who has condemned the democratic setback and authorised sanctions against Myanmar’s generals, their family members and associates.

A Myanmar delegation attended last month’s UN General Assembly in New York but did not address the body, an arrangement that ASEAN can possibly adopt, the diplomat said.

Saifuddin said ASEAN doesn't “downgrade a member's representation to the summit" and will look at other options. With Myanmar’s military-appointed foreign minister indicating his attendance at the two-hour ministerial meeting on Friday night, Saifuddin voiced hopes the bloc can find ways to overcome their differences.

Myanmar is widely seen as doing very little to honour its commitments, though it claims to have helped facilitate humanitarian assistance. Suu Kyi has been in detention since the army takeover, and is currently being tried on several charges that her supporters and independent analysts say are contrived and an attempt to legitimise the military’s seizure of power.

ASEAN is hamstrung by its bedrock policy of noninterference in the domestic affairs of member nations and by its consensus decision-making, meaning just one member state can reject any proposal. But some members feel action is justified because major unrest in Myanmar could trigger regional instability.