Long-term solution for Myanmar crisis eyed with proposal
KUALA LUMPUR: Asean foreign ministers have agreed to explore a proposal to appoint a permanent special envoy to Myanmar, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
He said the proposal did not receive any objection from his counterparts for an Asean permanent special envoy to be appointed for a three-year term.
“The candidate for the post was discussed at the senior officials meeting (SOM) level, and it will be brought to the leaders.
“The idea was well received by the respective Asean states,” the Foreign Minister told a press conference yesterday.
Currently, the special envoy of the Asean Chair to Myanmar is Tan Sri Othman Hashim, who is the former human rights commission (Suhakam) chairman and former Foreign Ministry secretary-general.
Mohamad said he will be heading to Naypyidaw, Myanmar, next month to meet with the military junta for further negotiations.
“I am going to talk to them further. We have to be patient, because the warring factions have been against each other for decades,” he said.
Mohamad pointed out that, while member states respect the Asean policy of non-interference, the ongoing Myanmar issue has caused transnational crimes and a refugee crisis affecting neighbouring countries.
Hand in hand: Mohamad (sixth from left) posing for a photograph with Asean Foreign Ministers before chairing the meeting at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. — AZMAN GHANI/The Star
“That is why many Asean countries agreed to deal with the Myanmar issue,” he said.
The Myanmar civil war, which was sparked by the coup d’etat by its military junta in February 2021, has created lawless border regions that allowed criminal syndicates to set up “scam-parks”, where foreign nationals are trafficked into the country and forced to commit online scams.
On another matter, Mohamad said Timor-Leste has to double its efforts if it wants to be a full member of Asean.
He said there are about 66 legal instruments that Timor-Leste has to comply with.
“We want to help them, but they have to help themselves too,” he said. He said Asean foreign ministers agreed to establish a special task force on Timor-Leste to expedite and assist it in complying with all legal instruments.
Mohamad also said the adoption of the draft addendum to the Treaty on the South-East Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone marks a significant milestone in integrating Timor-Leste in Asean policies and security frameworks.
“Asean member states will now begin undertaking their respective domestic legal procedures with a view to finalising Timor-Leste’s accession process by the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits in October,” he said.
Mohamad also said Asean is exploring a proposal to admit Timor-Leste as a full member before it complies with all the legal instruments.
“We are contemplating a proposal to establish a timeline for them. For example, if they can fulfil the legal instruments within five years, then they can be full members.
“This is how we ensure that we align with our Asean theme this year, which is inclusivity and sustainability,” he said.
