Skip meeting with Myanmar junta, ex-minister urges Tok Mat

 Former foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah warns Manila, as Asean chair, against normalising ties with the Myanmar military government.

Former foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah said the Myanmar junta has repeatedly shown contempt for Asean’s efforts to resolve the country’s ongoing crisis and conflict.

PETALING JAYA:

An opposition MP has urged foreign minister Mohamad Hasan to skip tomorrow’s informal meeting between Asean foreign ministers and their Myanmar counterpart in Bangkok.

Former foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah also warned the Philippines, as Asean chair, against normalising ties with the Myanmar junta through such meetings, even if informal.

Saifuddin said the Myanmar military government has repeatedly shown contempt for the regional bloc’s efforts to resolve the country’s ongoing crisis and conflict.

“The junta has ignored Asean’s calls for dialogue, intensified violence against civilians, and their junta-controlled parliament had on July 9 approved a motion rejecting the Asean Five-Point Consensus itself.

“If the junta rejects even Asean’s minimum proposal, why is Asean rewarding that behaviour with higher levels of engagement?

“Malaysia should not support the meeting because it cancels the objectives championed by Malaysia during its Asean chairmanship,” he said in a statement.

The Indera Mahkota MP said the Myanmar junta was likely seeking to expand its political legitimacy while curbing Asean’s engagement with the country’s democratic movement.

Myanmar’s leaders have been banned from Asean summits following a 2021 military coup and an ongoing civil war following after the coup.

Bangkok has been pushing for greater Asean engagement with Myanmar’s army-backed government following its election earlier this year.

Saifuddin also voiced concern over the “total exclusion” of Rohingya representatives from upcoming meetings, pointing out that Malaysia hosts more than 100,000 Rohingya refugees because of persecution in Myanmar.

“How does engaging the junta without meaningful Rohingya participation advance Malaysia’s objective of restoring Rohingya citizenship, guaranteeing equal rights, and creating the conditions for safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation?

“The junta that committed genocide against the Rohingya cannot credibly be the sole interlocutor in resolving the crisis it created,” added the Parti Wawasan Negara secretary-general. - FMT