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ASEAN envoy's maiden visit to Myanmar met with protests

There is little trust left in the regional bloc's ability to tackle the turmoil following the coup in February 2021
ASEAN envoy's maiden visit to Myanmar met with protests

ASEAN special envoy Prak Sokhonn (left) meets Myanmar's General Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyidaw on March 21. (Photo: AFP/Myanmar Military Information Team)

Published: March 22, 2022 10:05 AM GMT
Updated: March 22, 2022 10:38 AM GMT

The first visit to Myanmar by the special envoy of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was greeted with protests from anti-junta and rights groups who have little trust left in the regional bloc’s ability to solve the conflict-torn nation's problems.

Posters reading "We don’t need you Prak Sokhonn, you are not welcome in Myanmar" and "ASEAN stands for democracy, not for dictatorship" were held by young protesters in Hpakant, Kachin state, on March 22

A group of monks in Mandalay organized a demonstration even as Cambodia' foreign minister kicked off his three-day visit as ASEAN special envoy on March 21 by holding talks with military leader Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power by toppling the Aung San Suu Kyi-led civilian government on Feb. 1, 2021.

The General Strike Coordination Body, an umbrella group of 36 civil society organizations, slammed the envoy’s visit. “The visit to Myanmar by the ASEAN envoy showed no respect for the voices and demands from the people of Myanmar,” the group said in a statement that dubbed called ASEAN’s stance as “shameful.”

Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government (NUG) demanded that the envoy meets with democratic leaders including President Win Myint and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, who were detained and hit with a raft of charges after the coup.

The NUG, composed of ousted lawmakers, activists and ethnic groups, also called on the envoy to meet with all stakeholders including the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, ethnic resistance organizations, civil society, community leaders and humanitarian organizations.

The special envoy’s visit comes amid frustration within ASEAN over the non-implementation of its five-point peace plan by military chief Min Aung Hlaing

Backed by the United Nations, the United States and the European Union, ASEAN has been leading diplomatic efforts to tackle the political turmoil following the coup that triggered mass protests and armed resistance in rural and ethnic areas.

The special envoy’s visit comes amid frustration within ASEAN over the non-implementation of its five-point peace plan by military chief Min Aung Hlaing after he had agreed to it at a summit in April 2021.

“By rushing to Myanmar to embrace top-level junta representatives without a clear agreement for steps forward on the five-point consensus, or even the possibility of meeting all meaningful stakeholders including senior NLD representatives, FM Prak Sakhonn is granting the junta a public relations windfall that undermines the limited regional pressure being placed on Myanmar,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

He said Prak Sakhonn’s mission shows that “the concept of ASEAN centrality in the Myanmar crisis is failing” due to a lack of real political commitment from Myanmar’s generals.

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