BANGKOK: Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra stated on Monday that ASEAN must take a leading role in resolving the ongoing civil war in Myanmar, ahead of this week’s summit of the 10-member regional group in Laos.
Myanmar has been in crisis since its military overthrew a democratically elected civilian government in February 2021, leading to widespread protests that escalated into an armed rebellion against the ruling junta.
“ASEAN must play a crucial role in restoring peace to Myanmar as soon as possible,” Paetongtarn said during an event in Bangkok. She added that Thailand will collaborate with Malaysia, the incoming chair of ASEAN, to use diplomatic measures to resolve the conflict. Additionally, she offered Thailand’s assistance as a mediator to facilitate dialogue.
The ASEAN peace initiative, known as the Five-Point Consensus, which was introduced in April 2021, has seen little progress despite repeated calls for negotiations. So far, Myanmar’s junta has refused to engage with opposition groups, labeling them as terrorists intent on destroying the nation.
The prolonged conflict, which has left one-third of Myanmar’s 55 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, is expected to be a major focus at the summit in Laos. ASEAN continues to exclude the junta’s leadership from its meetings due to their non-compliance with the peace plan they initially agreed to, which has frustrated the bloc’s leading nations.
In preparation for the summit, Indonesia hosted an international meeting last week that included the United Nations and opponents of Myanmar’s military.
