Caretaker government proposes to ‘fully re-engage’ junta, starting with informal weekend meeting
The caretaker government is proposing to “fully re-engage” Myanmar’s military rulers and has invited Asean foreign ministers to an informal meeting on Sunday in an effort to jump-start a stalled peace plan, Reuters has learned.
The proposal was made in a June 14 letter to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) counterparts from Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, which was seen by Reuters on Friday and confirmed by three sources with knowledge of the planned meeting
Asean has barred Myanmar’s ruling generals from its high-level meetings over its failure to honour its agreement, known as the “5-point consensus”, which included calls for an immediate end of hostilities, dialogue between all parties and the granting of full humanitarian access.
Asean chair Indonesia has declined to attend Sunday’s meeting, according to three sources. The Indonesian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to request for comment.
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment. Given that the country is expected to have a new government by August, it is not clear whether the engagement effort will continue.
Indonesia last month cited progress in its behind-the-scenes efforts to engage multiple parties in Myanmar’s conflict in a bid to advance the peace process agreed in 2021 by Asean leaders and Myanmar’s military, two months after it seized power in a coup and launched a deadly crackdown on opponents.
Myanmar has been roiled by violence since the coup, with the military battling on multiple fronts to try to crush an armed pro-democracy resistance movement formed in response to the crackdown.
Human rights activists and some United Nations experts have accused the military of committing widespread atrocities. The junta says it is fighting terrorists who aim to destroy the country.
The letter from Mr Don did not explicitly say that Myanmar’s junta-appointed foreign minister had been invited to the meeting. However, two informed sources said he had been invited.
The letter said the proposed meeting would be “part of the initial steps” of the peace process.
It cited a meeting last month at the Asean summit in Indonesia where “a member nation” made an unequivocal statement that Asean should fully re-engage with Myanmar at the leadership level.
“A number of members supported the call and some were willing to consider, there was no explicit dissenting voice,” Mr Don said in the letter.