According to Indonesia’s top diplomat, a bureaucratic representative from Myanmar attended a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Laos on Monday. The diplomat emphasized that this move was consistent with ASEAN’s policy on Myanmar’s participation, as the ruling generals of Myanmar are still not allowed to participate in key meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) due to their failure to implement a peace plan agreed with the bloc after the 2021 coup. This coup led to chaos in Myanmar. The ASEAN policy is to invite Myanmar to send a “non-political” representative, but the junta has previously declined, citing what it views as ASEAN interference in its internal affairs.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi confirmed in a text message to Reuters that Myanmar’s acting permanent secretary of its foreign ministry, Malar Than Htike, was present at Monday’s talks in Laos. This information was also corroborated by two other diplomatic sources. Retno emphasized that there were no changes in ASEAN policy, stating “Myanmar shall not affect ASEAN decision making.”
Retno had previously led a discreet effort to initiate dialogue between conflicting parties in Myanmar. The country has seen rebellion against the junta by pro-democracy militias aligned with a shadow government and ethnic minority armies, but the military government has refused to engage in dialogue, referring to the opposing parties as “terrorists.”
Since the 2021 coup, Myanmar has been immersed in crisis, resulting in at least two million people being displaced due to fighting. Human rights groups have accused the junta of using excessive force and perpetrating widespread atrocities against civilians, allegations which the junta denies. Despite these ongoing issues, ASEAN is maintaining its stance on Myanmar’s participation in meetings.
Reporting by Ananda Teresia in Jakarta and Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok; Writing by Martin Petty, Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan
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