ASEAN
ASEAN special envoy to Myanmar warns on further executions
Efforts by Myanmar’s neighbors to help restore peace and normalcy to the strife-torn Southeast Asian nation were hindered by the country’s recent executions of four political activists, Cambodia’s foreign minister said Saturday.
Prak Sokhonn, speaking in his capacity as special envoy to Myanmar of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, warned that further executions would force the regional grouping to reconsider how it engages with fellow member Myanmar.
Cambodia is the current chair of the regional grouping, and Myanmar is not welcome to send members of its ruling military government to ASEAN meetings because of its failure to cooperate with a plan agreed upon last year to work toward restoring peace.
Myanmar’s military rulers initially agreed to the plan, a five-point consensus, but have since made little effort to implement it. The country has slipped into a situation that some U.N. experts have characterized as a civil war.
Prak Sokhonn was speaking at a news conference after a weeklong meeting in Cambodia of ASEAN foreign ministers. The meeting’s final communique, issued Friday, included a section criticizing Myanmar for its lack of progress in ending violence there, but with weaker language than several countries had hoped for.
On Saturday, he described the executions of Myanmar dissidents as a “setback” to his mediation efforts and said the nine ASEAN members aside from Myanmar had “agreed to see how things will evolve in the coming weeks and months.”
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He said “if more executions are conducted, then things will have to be reconsidered,” which suggested that ASEAN is prepared to downgrade its engagement with Myanmar’s military government. ASEAN has been criticized by some of its own members as well as other countries for doing too little to pressure Myanmar to implement the five-point consensus.
Myanmar’s army in February last year ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and then violently cracked down on widespread protests against its actions. After security forces unleashed lethal force against peaceful demonstrators, some opponents of military rule took up arms.
Myanmar’s foreign ministry issued a statement Friday saying it objected to a reference in the ASEAN joint statement to a “lack of progress” in implementing the five-point consensus because “it neglects Myanmar’s efforts on its implementation.”
It also said that the four men recently executed were not punished because they were political activists but because they were “found guilty of masterminding, inciting, supporting, arming and committing terrorist activities which caused tremendous loss of innocent lives.”
Prak Sokhonn said progress has been made on providing humanitarian aid to Myanmar, but not on the other main points in ASEAN’s plan: stopping the violence and opening up a political dialogue among all the country’s contending parties.
“The only will I see now is to continue to fight,” he said. “Why? Because of the lack of trust and the execution of the activists, whether it is legal or illegal.”
Rohingya repatriation: Bangladesh wants more coordinated, proactive support from ASEAN
Bangladesh has sought more coordinated and proactive support from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for persuading Myanmar to create a congenial situation for an early, safe and dignified repatriation of its more than 1.1 million nationals from the country.
Bangladesh also sought the support of Brunei Darussalam in expediting its bid to be a sectoral dialogue partner (SDP) of ASEAN.
A courtesy meeting was held between Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and Second Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brunei Haji Erywan bin Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Haji Mohd Yusof in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Thursday.
They discussed the issues of mutual interest, reasserting their commitment to further strengthening their excellent bilateral ties.
Read: Bangladesh seeks EU’s role for early repatriation of Rohingyas
The two countries agreed to accelerate cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, energy, health, pharmaceuticals, connectivity, ICT, tourism, halal trade, human resources development, youth and cultural exchanges.
While discussing the need for high-level visits to further cement the bilateral relations, Yusof expressed their keenness on arranging a Bangladesh visit for the sultan of Brunei which got postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Momen welcomed the proposal and both ministers agreed to take all necessary preparations.
The Bangladesh foreign minister is now on a three-day visit to Cambodia to attend the 29th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) ministerial meeting.
ASEAN's Sectoral Dialogue Partner: Bangladesh seeks Vietnam’s support
Bangladesh has sought Vietnam’s support in favour of Bangladesh’s candidacy as a sectoral dialogue partner of ASEAN.
Bangladesh also invited Vietnam to invest in the economic zones in priority areas including agriculture and ICT sectors.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen met Foreign Minister of Vietnam Bui Thanh Son on Thursday afternoon on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and discussed the issues.
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He requested Vietnam to exert its friendly influence on Myanmar to take its citizens back to Myanmar, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Momen also suggested the regular exchange of more technical expertise to boost trade, commerce and investment further.
Also read: Chinese FM’s visit: Dhaka, Beijing likely to sign multiple cooperation documents
MPs urge ASEAN to put strong pressure on Myanmar
As the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meet in Phnom Penh this week, they should take the opportunity to reach an agreement on strong and coordinated measures to put pressure on Myanmar’s military junta, parliamentarians from the region have urged.
Over fifteen months after ASEAN members and the chief of the military junta, General Min Aung Hlaing, signed a Five-Point Consensus to address the political and humanitarian crisis triggered by the illegal coup d’état on 1 February 2021, the situation in Myanmar has continued to deteriorate.
The self-styled State Administration Council (SAC) is still hijacking humanitarian assistance, has not taken steps towards initiating a political dialogue, and continues waging a brutal campaign of repression against the population at large in order to stamp out widespread opposition to military rule.
“ASEAN member states must recognize that the Myanmar military has become a criminal organisation that is holding hostage the whole of the country’s population,” said Eva Sundari, former member of the House of Representatives in Indonesia and Board Member of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR).
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ASEAN’s Foreign Ministers are meeting less than two weeks after the Junta executed four political prisoners sentenced to death, Phyo Zeya Thaw, former lawmaker for the National League for Democracy (NLD); the prominent activist Kyaw Min Yu, widely known as ‘Ko Jimmy’; Aung Thura Zaw; and Hla Myo Aung.
Those are the first known judicial executions in Myanmar since 1988, according to Amnesty International, and were carried out secretly, after trials conducted by military tribunals without any respect for due process, as APHR has denounced.
The junta went on with the executions despite international pleas not to carry them out. Even Hun Sen, the Prime Minister of Cambodia, and current ASEAN Chair, made a plea for the prisoners to be spared, despite the leniency that his government has shown towards the junta this year.
As ASEAN Chair, Cambodia has undone a great deal of the work that other member states had been doing to isolate the Myanmar generals, thus granting them legitimacy they do not deserve.
“After those barbaric executions, Cambodia should stop pandering to the generals, and ASEAN foreign ministers should make their meeting in Phnom Penh a turning point to lift the Myanmar people out of their suffering. The junta believes it can get away with its crimes and ignore the international condemnation because up to now it has not led to any concrete consequences,” said Sundari.
ASEAN should put in place enforcement mechanisms in order for the Five Point Consensus to work. Starting with imposing targeted sanctions and travel bans in the region on Min Aung Hlaing and his men.
The regional group should also publicly engage and recognize the National Unity Government of Myanmar (NUG), which is leading the pro-democracy forces and represents the Myanmar people’s aspirations for democracy, as well as ethnic organisations.
Dhaka urges Jakarta to do more for repatriation of Rohingya refugees
Bangladesh has sought a proactive support of Indonesia and of the ASEAN for an early repatriation of the stranded Myanmar nationals from Bangladesh to Myanmar.
Bangladesh and Indonesia held bilateral meeting in Jakarta on Monday and discussed the issue.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Retno Marsudi led the respective delegation in the discussions.
The meeting reviewed the whole gamut of the existing excellent bilateral relations and both sides renewed their commitment for further strengthening it.
The two foreign ministers exchanged felicitations on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The two countries agreed to accelerate cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, agriculture, food, energy, health and pharmaceuticals, connectivity, ICT, tourism, halal trade, human resources development, defence, youth and cultural exchanges, etc.
They expressed optimism that the MoUs in the pipeline would be concluded soon.
Read: Rohingya Repatriation: Dhaka seeks proactive role from Indonesia, ASEAN
Southeast Asian MPs urge ASEAN Special Envoy to Myanmar to meet National Unity Govt
Parliamentarians from Southeast Asia are urging the Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair to Myanmar, the Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn, to meet representatives of the National Unity Government (NUG) of Myanmar, after his recent trip to the country.
During the trip he met Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and other members of the military junta that continues to try to rule the country after its illegal coup d’état of February last year.
Formed by MPs elected before the military takeover and widely respected leaders from civil society and the ethnic minorities, the NUG was established in April 2022 to oppose the self-styled State Administration Council (SAC) led by Min Aung Hlaing.
The NUG is supported by the vast majority of the Myanmar people.
“Most Myanmar citizens see the NUG as their legitimate government, and that is how the international community at large, and ASEAN in particular, should regard it. If Mr. Sokhonn is serious about implementing ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus, he should publicly engage the NUG, rather than limit himself to meet the leaders of an illegal junta that is committing all kinds of international crimes and throwing the country into chaos while attempting to cement its power,” said Tom Villarin, former MP from the Philippines and Board Member of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) on Monday.
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The Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar was signed on 24 April 2021 by all ASEAN leaders and Min Aung Hlaing.
The Consensus prescribes the delivery of humanitarian aid, and calls for an immediate cessation of violence, as well as the commencement of a dialogue process between all the parties involved in the conflict, to be facilitated by the ASEAN Special Envoy appointed by the group’s rotatory Chair.
Since Cambodia assumed the chairmanship of ASEAN this year, its leaders have met Min Aung Hlaing and other representatives of the SAC on several occasions, including a visit by the Prime Minister, Hun Sen, to Myanmar in January; but has never met with any member of the NUG, most of whom are in hiding or exiled.
As Chair of ASEAN this year, Cambodia should hold conversations with the democratic leaders of Myanmar, by inviting them to meet outside Myanmar or online if necessary, given the challenges involved in meeting them in their own country, APHR said.
The SAC has utterly failed to implement any of the five points included in the consensus and the situation has steadily deteriorated in Myanmar.
With at least 2,088 people killed by the junta; over 11,000 political prisoners, a record number in Myanmar’s history; and over one million internally displaced people in the country, Min Aung Hlaing and his men are responsible for “systematic and widespread human rights violations and abuses” that may amount to “war crimes and crimes against humanity,” according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
“We at APHR have repeatedly called on ASEAN to hold Min Aung Hlaing and his criminal junta accountable for their crimes and for not abiding to the Consensus they signed to. The military is the main source of Myanmar’s woes and instability, and ASEAN member states should not accept its illegal rule as a fait accompli. Instead, they should engage and support the NUG and Myanmar’s civil society if they truly want to put the country back on the path towards democracy and prevent it from becoming a failed state at their doorstep,” said Villarin.
Rohingya Repatriation: Dhaka seeks proactive role from Indonesia, ASEAN
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has urged Indonesia and the ASEAN to play a proactive role to facilitate an early repatriation of the displaced Rohingya people currently sheltered in Bangladesh on humanitarian grounds.
He reiterated that the problem was created by Myanmar and it has to be solved by Myanmar as well, and the only possible solution in this regard is the repatriation of the displaced people to their homeland, the Rakhine State of Myanmar.
Momen also sought Indonesia’s support in favour of Bangladesh’s candidacy as a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
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The foreign minister discussed the issues when Ambassador of Indonesia to Bangladesh Heru Hartanto Subolo met him at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday.
Momen recalled with gratitude the support of Indonesia for early recognition of independent Bangladesh in 1972.
He expressed happiness on the celebration of Golden Jubilee of Diplomatic ties with due festivity both in Bangladesh and Indonesia.
While appreciating the current volume of bilateral trade, Momen stressed on further expanding and accelerating the scope of trade and investment tapping into the unexplored potentials by the business communities of the two countries.
He specifically emphasized on having a better balance of bilateral trade by allowing more Bangladeshi products, including RMG, Pharmaceuticals, leather goods etc., into the Indonesian market and on concluding the Bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement which is under negotiations.
Momen suggested more frequent interactions among the business communities of the two countries, according to the MoFA.
The foreign minister explained briefly the remarkable socio-economic success of Bangladesh to the new Indonesian envoy.
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He specifically highlighted the success of digital integration and ICT development in Bangladesh under the vision of ‘Digital Bangladesh’ as steered by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Momen elaborated how a well-built ICT infrastructure helped Bangladesh in coping with the challenges of the pandemic and in administering one of the largest inoculation programs in the world.
Echoing the views of the foreign minister, the Indonesian Ambassador also emphasized on further strengthening economic relations between the two countries through various means including exchange of trade delegations, participating in trade expo etc.
Momen wished the Ambassador all success and assured him of all possible support during his tenure in Bangladesh.
US to work closely with ASEAN for peaceful resolution to crisis in Myanmar: Sherman
US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has said her country would continue to work closely with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other partners in pressing for a just and peaceful resolution to the crisis in Myanmar.
Many Southeast Asian leaders are now in Washington for the US-ASEAN Special Summit.
Sherman Thursday held a meeting with representatives of Myanmar's National Unity Government (NUG), an administration set up by opponents of the February 1 military coup that plunged the country into chaos.
She met the NUG representatives, including Zin Mar Aung, in Washington.
Sherman underscored robust US support for the people of Myanmar in the face of the regime's brutal crackdown and pledged to continue providing support to all those working peacefully towards the restoration of Myanmar's path to inclusive democracy.
The deputy secretary thanked Zin Mar for her courage and dedication to the people of Myanmar and offered US support for an inclusive, peaceful, and prosperous democracy for all.
Also read: Dhaka seeks pro-active support from Manila, ASEAN for early repatriation of Rohingyas
Dhaka seeks pro-active support from Manila, ASEAN for early repatriation of Rohingyas
Bangladesh has sought Philippines’ and ASEAN’s pro-active support for the early repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar.
Bangladesh also mentioned the pressure the additional 1.1 million people are creating on the local law and order and security situation of Bangladesh when newly appointed Ambassador of the Philippines to Bangladesh Alan L. Deniega met State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam on Tuesday.
The State Minister highlighted the plights of the Rohingya people sheltered temporarily in Bangladesh on humanitarian grounds.
State Minister Alam mentioned that Bangladesh, being strategically located at the cusp of the South and South East Asian region, is making all efforts for further enhancing and deepening her relationship with the ASEAN member states.
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He sought the support of the Philippines for Bangladesh’s bid for ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partner status, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.
The Philippines Ambassador assured the State Minister of their full support and suggested certain steps and processes for expediting the inclusion of Bangladesh in this regard.
Welcoming the new envoy of the Philippines, State Minister Alam assured him of all possible support and cooperation for carrying out his mission in Bangladesh.
He hoped Bangladesh-Philippines bilateral relations would attain newer heights during his tenure in Dhaka.
Also read: US may influence ASEAN to persuade Myanmar to stop atrocities, take Rohingyas back: Momen
Alam recalled with gratitude the recognition by the Philippines to the independent Bangladesh in February 1972.
He hoped that the warm bilateral relations will gain further momentum on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of diplomatic ties.
During his discussion, Alam pointed to the pandemic-induced food insecurity, inflation and global supply chain disruptions as well as their impacts on some of the countries in the region and beyond, and stressed the importance of greater unity, collaborative efforts and synergies, particularly among the countries in the neighborhood and in the region, for overcoming these challenges and for protecting the lives and livelihood of the common people.
He observed that the Philippines have had remarkable expertise in the fields of human resource training, nursing and health-related service sectors, tourism and hospitality industries, agro-processing etc., which Bangladesh could share and utilize for adding further momentum to the current pace of economic development of the country. He also encouraged the Philippines’ investors to invest in Bangladesh, which has a burgeoning middle-class with an increasing purchasing capacity.
The new Ambassador of the Philippines profusely admired the decisive and visionary leadership of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and described Bangladesh as a role model for social development.
He expressed his keenness on mutual sharing of the experiences and expertise of the two countries for the benefit of the people of the two friendly countries.
The Ambassador highly lauded the Disaster Management efficiency and capacity achieved by Bangladesh, which could be shared with many counties in the world, he said.
He also congratulated the government and people of Bangladesh on their successful handling of the Covid pandemic and expressed satisfaction at the resumption of normal socio-economic life in both Bangladesh and the Philippines.
During their talks, both the State Minister and the Ambassador exchanged felicitations on the historic occasion of the golden jubilee of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and the Philippines and agreed to have more high level visits to further consolidate the bilateral relations in the coming days.
US may influence ASEAN to persuade Myanmar to stop atrocities, take Rohingyas back: Momen
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has stressed that the US may influence the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members to persuade the Myanmar government to stop atrocities on its nationals and take the Rohingyas back to their land.
The issue came up when United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration Scott Turner met Momen at the Foreign Service Academy Monday.
The foreign minister appreciated the announcement of the US government to contribute $152 million under the Joint Response Plan (JRP) 2022 for the Rohingya crisis.
Isobel deeply appreciated Bangladesh for hosting such a large number of displaced people from Myanmar.
READ: Bangladesh keen to increase engagement with ASEAN: PM
There are potentials in Bhasan Char which need to be further developed, she said.
Isobel stressed improving the provision of basic education, livelihood, communication, and transportation facilities on the island.
Momen thanked USAID for their continued support for the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMNs), Bangladesh’s official designation for the Rohingyas.
As Bangladesh and the US celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties, Momen said he looks forward to 50 years of effective and robust partnership with the US.
He requested USAID to initiate a project to study the feasibility of the rehabilitation and forestation of the coastal embankments.