[Handout from Thai Government Spokesman’s Office]
The U.N.’s special envoy on Myanmar met behind closed doors with Thailand’s leader Friday, trying to find solutions to the Burmese crisis, as ASEAN dithered on naming its emissary to the coup-ridden country, which has already blocked the proposed visit.
Christine Schraner Burgener, the United Nations envoy, told Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-c-cha in Bangkok that she hoped Thailand could work with Myanmar’s junta to restore peace in that country, where close to 800 people have been killed since the military overthrew an elected government in a February coup.
“I held very constructive talks today in [Bangkok] with Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai on a peaceful solution in Myanmar in the interest of the people,” Schraner Burgener said via Twitter.
The recent measures may be less significant than they seem.
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May 13, 2021
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On April 24, ASEAN member states held an extraordinary Leaders’ Meeting to discuss the situation in Myanmar at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. The meeting had been proposed in March by Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Afterwards, a Chairman’s Statement was issued by Brunei, this year’s chair. The statement incorporated the following “Five-Point Consensus”:“1) there shall be immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar and all parties shall exercise utmost restraint, 2) constructive dialogue among all parties concerned shall commence to seek a peaceful solution in the interests of the people, 3) a special envoy of the ASEAN Chair shall facilitate mediation of the dialogue process, with the assistance of the Secretary General of ASEAN, 4) ASEAN shall provide humanitarian assistance through the AHA Centre and 5) the special envoy and delegation shall visit Myanmar to meet with all
May 13, 2021
Anti-coup protesters from various township hold slogans that reads “Yangon boycott rally to clear all threats here in Yangon” during a demonstration in Yangon, Myanmar on Tuesday May 11, 2021.
Credit: AP Photo
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Almost as soon as news spread of the Myanmar military’s brazen coup on February 1, we began hearing calls for a “reversal” of the coup. Now, the international community’s efforts have focused on restoring the pre-coup status quo, as evidenced by the recent (and failed) ASEAN emergency summit.
These proposals and initiatives ignore the persistent demands from protestors and ethnic groups for a radical and fundamental shift in Myanmar. Perhaps most importantly, they fail to acknowledge that the rapidly deteriorating situation in Myanmar cannot be resolved with a return to the precarious pre-coup balance of power because it’s precisely this unsustainable framework that led to the coup in the first place.