THE country’s foreign minister said that he hoped Myanmar’s recent election would be the “start of a transition” that could lead to sustainable peace in the civil war-torn country.
Myanmar’s pro-military party declared victory on Monday in junta-run elections widely labelled a “sham” by rights groups.
Critics say the poll was stacked with army allies to prolong its grip on power after a 2021 coup that saw massively popular democratic figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi detained and her party dissolved.
Speaking on the sidelines of an Asean retreat in the central Philippines, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said he hoped the polls might be a precursor to sustainable peace.
“It’s not a perfect election, but we hope that it will be the start of the transition,” he said.
“We have not made any pronouncements on the elections,” he added, noting observers sent to Myanmar for the poll would remain in place for three more months.
Minutes later, Theresa Lazaro, foreign minister of current Asean chair the Philippines, said “a good number” of the bloc’s members held similar views, which she called “pragmatic”.
“As far as the Asean collective, there is no endorsement at this time,” she said at a press briefing that concluded two days of meetings in Cebu.
“It’s not an expression of support, but with a view that these elections might be something positive,” Lazaro said of members’ hopefulness.
Foreign ministers from the Association of South-East Asian Nations had huddled a day earlier in a two-hour meeting devoted to the ongoing conflict in Myanmar, which Sihasak said had a special relevance for neighbouring Thailand.
“For most of us, especially Thailand, the position is we hope they will continue after the election with dialogue, reconciliation and (the) peace process, so we will have a sustainable solution, a sustainable peace,” he said. — AFP
