Myanmar Crisis: ASEAN Alone Cannot Resolve The Situation

Editorial

16:57 JST, October 12, 2024

The civil war in Myanmar has continued to intensify, claiming many lives. To prevent the humanitarian crisis from deepening, other countries concerned must strengthen their efforts to resolve the situation.

A summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was held in Laos recently to discuss the situation in Myanmar, where fighting has continued between the military and pro-democracy and other groups. From Myanmar, the permanent secretary of its Foreign Ministry attended the meeting. It was the first time in about three years for a representative of the country to participate in an ASEAN summit.

Since the 2021 coup in which the Myanmar military overthrew the pro-democracy government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, ASEAN had refused to allow senior military officers from Myanmar to attend its major meetings.

For this reason, the Myanmar military refrained from attending ASEAN-related talks, but this year, it changed its stance and began dispatching bureaucrats.

The military has indicated its intention to hold a general election next year, the first since the coup. Its aim is clearly to legitimize the current military rule by enabling a pro-military party to win. At the summit, the military may have tried to gain understanding from other member states regarding a general election.

However, the pro-democracy party once led by Suu Kyi has been stripped of its political party status, and so cannot participate in the election. ASEAN countries must urge the Myanmar military to hold a fair election without excluding pro-democracy forces.

An urgent issue is how to respond to the increasingly serious humanitarian crisis.

Since the coup, about 5,800 pro-democracy activists and civilians have died in the military crackdown, while more than 27,000 people have been arrested. Many pro-democracy leaders, including Suu Kyi, remain in detention. The number of people displaced due to the intensifying civil war has exceeded 3.3 million.

After the coup, the military agreed with other ASEAN countries on five points, including an “immediate cessation of violence.” It is extremely regrettable that, despite this, the military has not implemented the agreement and has instead intensified its oppression, making the situation worse.

Despite being subject to economic sanctions from Western countries, the military has been able to continue attacks on anti-military forces largely due to support from China and Russia.

Chinese and Russian military drones have been reportedly used to attack anti-military forces. China is also said to have recently sent six fighter jets to the Myanmar military. This irresponsible behavior supports the authoritarian rule and deepens the humanitarian crisis.

If the influence of Beijing and Moscow increases excessively, there is a risk that stability in Southeast Asia as a whole will be undermined. Japan should work to shape international public opinion through the United Nations and other forums in order to stop arms aid by China and Russia.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 12, 2024)