ASEAN envoy visit key step to settle Myanmar issue

The special envoy of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations chair on Myanmar is looking forward to more exchanges and a joint consultative gathering later, after his first visit to Myanmar was generally considered positive.

Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn paid his first working visit to Myanmar over three days from last Monday. He was accompanied by Cham Prasidh, Cambodia's senior minister who oversees his country's Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, and ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi.

Sokhonn's visit is an important first step in a long journey to resolve the Myanmar crisis, said Chheang Vannarith, president of the Asian Vision Institute think tank in Cambodia.

This is because the Myanmar situation is complex and will take time, effort and patience to deal with the issues, he said.

"This is a more of a … listening mission that tries to understand more from the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military)," Chheang Vannarith said, hoping the information collected will help formulate a more robust and innovative engagement with Myanmar.

Sokhonn's visit is a key element in a five-point consensus reached at the ASEAN Leaders' Meeting last April, which aims to address the Myanmar crisis after the military took state power on Feb 1 last year. Cambodia is the ASEAN chair this year.

Despite some criticism of his first visit, Sokhonn plans more steps in implementing ASEAN's five-point consensus.

"For the next immediate action we plan to conduct a consultative meeting at the end of April to listen to views from different stakeholders and exchange views on effective delivery of humanitarian assistance to those most in need without discrimination," Sokhonn said.

During Sokhonn's visit he had talks with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, chairman of Myanmar's State Administration Council, and called for the implementation of the three priorities in the five-point consensus, namely the cessation of violence, continued provision of humanitarian assistance to Myanmar and dialogues among all parties.

Meeting Sokhonn, Myanmar's Foreign Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin said the implementation of the five-point consensus must be "Myanmar-owned and Myanmar-led", the Myanmar Foreign Ministry said.

Noting that the language previously appeared in the Chairman's Statement of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat in February, Moe Thuzar, a fellow and co-coordinator of the Myanmar Studies Programme at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said ASEAN wants an inclusive political dialogue or solution to be Myanmar-owned and Myanmar-led and involving all parties concerned.

"The five-point consensus is an ASEAN process intended to help Myanmar in accordance with the will of the people of Myanmar," Thuzar said.

Sokhonn's visit cannot be evaluated alone as it is probably the first of several trips that he will make to fulfill his mandate, including talking to all key stakeholders, which has not been realized this time, she said.

"I think it may be time for ASEAN to consider some indicators on what constitutes progress in implementing the five-point consensus."

According to the State of Southeast Asia Survey 2022 of the ASEAN Studies Centre of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, "engaging in independent dialogue with all key stakeholders in Myanmar to build trust" was the most preferred option of the survey respondents on how the bloc can make progress on the Myanmar issue, followed by "mounting a coordinated unified response with international partners".