Cambodian PM undermining Asean's tackling of Myanmar crisis, say MPs

 

The Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) has blasted Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen over a recent joint statement with Myanmar's military chief Min Aung Hlaing.

APHR called the joint statement a brazen and dangerous attempt to destabilise Asean efforts to resolve the Myanmar crisis.

“Hun Sen’s official visit to Myanmar, his meeting with the self-declared State Administration Council leader Min, and their joint press release, are a brazen and dangerous attempt to seize the initiative from Asean's collective approach to the crisis in Myanmar.

“These two coup makers are conducting another coup within Asean that threatens to split the organisation itself," said APHR, calling into question Hun Sen's (above) own legitimacy.

Additionally, the APHR called on Asean's other eight members to jointly demand that Cambodia adhere to the five-point consensus and work within its collective framework with regard to Myanmar.

The five-point consensus is: end the violence, hold constructive talks among “all parties concerned”, provide Asean aid to Myanmar, appoint a special Asean envoy to conduct talks, and allow the envoy to visit the country.

Klang MP Charles Santiago was among those who criticised the joint statement.

“The joint statement is a misguided and dangerous attempt to deceptively portray a breakthrough, when in fact Hun Sen's unilateral actions have dramatically weakened Asean’s collective leverage to solve the Myanmar crisis.

"It is a brazen attempt by these two coup leaders to hijack Asean for their own authoritarian purposes, undermining the Myanmar peoples’ fight for democracy and human rights,” said Charles - who is also the APHR chair.

Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights chairperson Charles Santiago

In October 2021, Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah warned that Asean's principle of non-interference in the affairs of member-states should not be a reason to take a hands-off approach, suggesting that Asean switches to a "non-indifference" policy instead.

Hun Sen's visit was the first by a head of government since the army overthrew the civilian administration of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb 1 last year, sparking months of protests and a bloody crackdown that has left thousands dead.

The army has said its takeover was in response to election fraud and was in line with the constitution.

Hun Sen, who has been in power for over four decades, himself seized power in a 1997 coup and has in subsequent elections been criticised over crackdowns on his political opponents. - Mkini