APHR: Thailand's Meeting With Myanmar's Junta Betrays ASEAN

JAKARTA - Members of the ASEAN Parliament for Human Rights (APHR) called Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Don Pramudwinai's decision to continue informal meetings with the Myanmar military junta a betrayal of the Myanmar people and an insult to ASEAN unity.

"The decision by the Thai government to hold this meeting, despite opposition from the chairmen of ASEAN, Indonesia, and Singapore and Malaysia, shows arrogance in ignoring the unity of ASEAN, human rights of the Myanmar people, and even the will of its own citizens," said Deputy Chair of APHR Charles Santiago in a written statement reported by ANTARA, Monday, June 19.

According to leaked documents, Pramudwinai sent a letter dated June 14, 2023 to invite ASEAN foreign ministers in an informal discussion planned for June 18-19, 2023 to re-involve Myanmar in a meeting at the head of state/government level.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi reportedly replied to the invitation with a letter of rejection on June 15, while the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a similar statement on June 18.

Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Baskrishnan said at a press conference during her visit to the US on June 17 that "it was too early to engage again with the junta at the peak or even at the foreign ministerial level."

Meanwhile, the Philippines has not released an official statement but reportedly will not attend.

Nonetheless, Pramudiwinai insisted that talks would resume on June 19 and Thailand's Foreign Ministry said high-level representatives from Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, India, China, Brunei Darussalam, and Vietnam had confirmed their presence.

The meeting followed the previous 1.5 track meeting held in Thailand in March and was attended by top officials from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam along with China, India, Bangladesh, and Japan.

"We are disappointed that Thailand and other countries are still willing to engage with Myanmar's killer junta without any attempt to hold it accountable, even though military atrocities continue which have resulted in the death of thousands of its own people," Santiago said.

He also said the 1.5 meeting of the track weakened ASEAN's credibility over their ability to resolve many crises that occurred in Myanmar.

"Indonesia as chairman of ASEAN, as well as other ASEAN member countries, should not allow this meeting to go unanswered: there must be an investigation into Thailand's neglect and disrespect of the current chairman," Santiago said.

"Although we appreciate their refusal to this misunderstanding meeting, it cannot stop there. ASEAN must work together to hold the military junta accountable, including by reforming the failed Five-Point Consensus which has not yielded results since it was adopted in April 2021," he said.