SINGAPORE, Jan 17 (NNN-Bernama) — ASEAN should maintain its decision reached at the 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits of inviting a non-political representative from Myanmar to ASEAN meetings until there was significant progress in implementing the Five-Point Consensus.
This view was expressed by Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen when receiving a video call from the latter on Jan 14, 2022, according to the republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
During the session, MFA said Hun Sen had briefed Lee on Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship priorities and agenda for 2022.
The statement said Lee noted that there had not been any significant progress in the implementation of ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus since its adoption on April 24, 2021, at a meeting at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta between ASEAN Leaders and Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
“Any discussion to revise the ASEAN Leaders’ decision had to be based on new facts,” said the statement.
MFA said Lee emphasised the need for the ASEAN Chair to engage all parties concerned, including the Tatmadaw (Myanmar’s military) and the National League for Democracy (NLD).
“The Tatmadaw had proposed a ceasefire with Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs) only, but the call for a cessation of violence in the Five-Point Consensus referred also, and indeed primarily, to violence against the Tatmadaw’s political opponents and civilians,” said the statement.
MFA said Lee noted that just days after Hun Sen’s visit, there had been further attacks by the Tatmadaw against its political opponents, and additional prison sentences imposed on State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.
The statement said said Lee was unsure what role ASEAN or the ASEAN Chair’s Special Envoy on Myanmar could play in coordinating a ceasefire since there was no access to all parties.
He also said that there was a need for progress in the delivery of humanitarian assistance with the involvement of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) and with the cooperation of the Tatmadaw.
Lee agreed that these proposals raised by the ASEAN Chair should be further discussed among the ASEAN Foreign Ministers and Senior Officials and hoped that Cambodia would consider his views and those of other ASEAN Leaders.
He reaffirmed Singapore’s commitment to work with Cambodia and other ASEAN Member States on the full implementation of ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus and relevant ASEAN decisions.
MFA said Lee also reaffirmed the republic’s support for Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship and thanked Prime Minister Hun Sen for the briefing on his recent visit to Myanmar.
— NNN-BERNAMA