Indonesia's President says 'no real progress' on Myanmar peace plan

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
11 May 07:52

Turmoil in junta-ruled Myanmar has been the focus of the talks at this week's Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Indonesia.

Indonesia President Joko Widodo delivers his speech during the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, May 10, 2023. (Reuters)

On the final day of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Southeast Asian nations have made "no significant progress" on implementing a peace plan aimed at ending the bloodshed in Myanmar.

Turmoil in junta-ruled Myanmar has been the focus of the talks at this week's Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Indonesia, as the regional bloc came under attack for its perceived inaction.

ASEAN, which has spearheaded diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis, is in a tight corner to enact a five-point plan agreed upon with Myanmar two years ago after a military coup ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's government.

As leaders began the final day of talks in the fishing town of Labuan Bajo, Indonesian President Joko Widodo acknowledged they had made "no significant progress" on implementing the peace plan.

"We need the unity of ASEAN to chart our way forward," Widodo said through a translator.

The junta has spurned international condemnation and rejected to engage with its opponents, including ousted lawmakers, anti-coup "People's Defence Forces" and armed ethnic minority groups.

According to a new report, companies across many #Western countries facilitated the junta in #Myanmar to manufacture the weapons used in their strikes against the opposition, thus fuelling the conflict in the #Asian country. pic.twitter.com/u6I2EP5AoB
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 19, 2023

The junta's isolation grew as a result of an airstrike on a village in a rebel stronghold last month that reportedly resulted in the deaths of roughly 170 people.

With Jakarta serving as the group's chairman this year, there were hopes that ASEAN could use its combined diplomatic and economic clout to advocate for a peaceful resolution.

ASEAN's charter principles of consensus and non-interference have hindered its capabilities to stop the violence in Myanmar, which critics say presents an existential threat to the bloc.

Diplomatic sources said as quoted by AFP on Wednesday that some countries at the summit had proposed inviting back the junta to high-level meetings.

Myanmar is still a part of ASEAN, but over accusations of its inability to carry out the peace plan, it is no longer allowed to participate in high-level summits.

The latest draft of the end-of-summit statement has left the paragraph on Myanmar open, mirroring diplomatic challenges over the issue, as per AFP.

A review of the charter was "long overdue", said Lina Alexandra of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta.

"When you see your next-door neighbor's house is burning, what will you do? Can you just stay silent, it's not my problem?" she said.