ASEAN Summit Highlights Challenges in Addressing Myanmar’s Violence and Stalled Peace Efforts

The recent ASEAN summit in Vientiane, Laos, focused on Myanmar’s escalating violence and the stalled implementation of the Five-Point Consensus, a peace plan established nearly four years ago, VOA reported yesterday.

This plan aims to end violence, facilitate dialogue, provide humanitarian aid, and appoint special envoys from ASEAN countries. Myanmar’s junta has been criticized for its noncompliance, hindering progress.

For the first time since late 2021, a Myanmar official, Permanent Secretary Aung Kyaw Moe, attended the summit, following negotiations by Laos with the junta. However, he did not actively participate in the discussions. ASEAN leaders, including representatives from Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, expressed their commitment to resolving the crisis, emphasizing that solutions should be Myanmar-led.

While some countries advocate for Myanmar’s inclusion in talks to improve humanitarian aid access, many leaders criticized the junta’s actions as inadequate.