[UPDATED] Five-point consensus deadlock in Myanmar cannot persist: Zambry

JAKARTA – The military junta in Myanmar has been accused of placing obstacles in the implementation of the agreed-upon “five points of consensus” brokered by Asean and comprising measures to bring peace and legitimacy to the country.

The matter was among the topmost items discussed at the 43rd Asean Summit today, with the failure bringing consternation among the foreign ministers gathered there.

Emerging from a meeting with his counterparts from the member nations today, Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir said the ministers have decided that the situation cannot be allowed to continue, and sterner action needs to be taken.

A new proposal package has been outlined and is presently with the secretary-general. 

It will be forwarded to the leaders of the countries to deliberate over and finalise at their meeting during the current summit which runs until Thursday.

“On the whole, we have seen that the five-point consensus has not been implemented to any more effective degree in view of the obstacles being placed by the junta in Myanmar,” he said.

“Malaysia and its partners have given their views that we cannot allow this to go on without the Myanmar junta being hit with some strong impact. 

“We (foreign ministers) will put forward a few proposals to the leaders of our countries at the main summit on the subsequent measures that need to be activated based on the review that has been undertaken.”

These include ways to ensure that the actions taken from now on are effective in tackling this issue, he told the media after participating in the Asean Foreign Ministers’ meeting at the Asean Secretariat complex here.

Zambry also attended the Asean Political-Security Community (APSC) council meeting and the Asean Coordinating Council meeting at the same venue this morning. 

The five-point consensus was agreed upon by Asean members in 2021. 

They include provisions for an immediate end to violence, dialogue among all parties, the appointment of a special envoy, allowing humanitarian assistance by Asean, and enabling a visit by the regional bloc’s special envoy to Myanmar to meet with all parties.

Pressed for details of a possible new action plan on Myanmar, Zambry said the matter has been discussed and is now with the office of secretary-general Kao Kim Hourn.

Asked about whether Myanmar will be allowed to assume the chairmanship of the bloc in 2026 as it would then be next in line, he said this will be informed by the secretariat. 

New Asean Community vision in 2025

On another matter, Zambry said that the foreign ministers also discussed curbing cross-border crime like drug and human trafficking, as well as the blight of job scams.

He said Malaysia particularly brought up the problem of job hoax operations that lure innocent people to another country where they are eventually victimised at the APSC meeting.

“We have put forward some proposals so that there is valuable cooperation among the member nations to make effective our efforts to eradicate the job scam problem.”

He said there has been encouraging response given by three countries that are related to the issue. He credited Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines for their positive cooperation on the matter.

Malaysia will be hosting the Asean Summit in 2025 when the present official “community vision” of the regional grouping is set to expire.

A new vision will be launched during the summit in Malaysia, he added. – The Vibes, September 4, 2023