The recent ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat, which was held on 16-17 February 2022 in Cambodia – the current Chair – took place without any representative from Myanmar. It is welcome that the ASEAN Foreign Ministers did not invite the junta representative to join their annual retreat, following its unprecedented decision in October last year not to invite the junta leader Min Aung Hlaing to their summits.

......Over the period of ten months, ASEAN has not managed to implement its plan to deliver humanitarian aid to the displaced people of Myanmar through the ASEAN Coordination Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) despite it being part of their Five-Point Consensus. Meanwhile, the military claims that it is in the process of completing “the first phase of the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance provided through the AHA Centre” and is currently in preparation for the second phase. Yet, the people of Myanmar have no idea where this assistance has gone while millions remain in dire need of aid.

....Meanwhile, ASEAN continues to lend legitimacy to the Myanmar military. Most recently, the ASEAN Special Envoy has sought approval from the junta to meet with the NUG and NUCC. As urged by the Malaysian Foreign Minister, Saifuddin Abdullah, the Special Envoy must also meet with all stakeholders including CSOs, NUG and NUCC when planning to meet with Min Aung Hlaing in March. However, in doing so, the SE should not need any approval from the military junta. Asking to do so lends further legitimacy to the illegitimate junta.

What is worse, ASEAN governments who have agreed to the Five-Point Consensus are implicated in effectively financing the military that is violently attacking the people and creating a humanitarian catastrophe. Justice For Myanmar published a Cartel Finance Map this week, which visualizes ASEAN’s business links that provide arms, services, finance and investment to the military. Among them are companies like Malaysia’s edotco and OCK Group, which lease telecommunications towers in Myanmar to military-controlled telecommunications company, Mytel. Singapore is a key financial source for the military, providing a financial hub for their business activities as well as of their partners, including arms dealers.

ASEAN must stop legitimizing the Myanmar military junta and at the same time ensure that its humanitarian aid wing

One year following the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, the former military junta changed the country’s name from Burma to Myanmar overnight. Progressive Voice uses the term ‘Myanmar’ in acknowledgement that most people of the country use this term. However, the deception of inclusiveness and the historical process of coercion by the former State Peace and Development Council military regime into usage of ‘Myanmar’ rather than ‘Burma’ without the consent of the people is recognized and not forgotten. Thus, under certain circumstances, ‘Burma’ is used.