A police officer stands near national flags of ASEAN counties flags during the 25th ASEAN Summit in Myanmar International Convention Centre in Naypyitaw November 12, 2014. | PHOTO: REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo
Phnom Penh, Cambodia 鈥斅燤alaysia is set to lead a push for tougher action on Myanmar when a regional bloc of foreign ministers meet this week, as anger mounts at the junta for stonewalling crisis resolution efforts.
The 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 鈥� which has spearheaded so far fruitless diplomatic efforts to restore peace 鈥� last week condemned the junta鈥檚 execution of four prisoners.
Myanmar has been in chaos since a putsch in February last year and the death toll from the military鈥檚 brutal crackdown on dissent has passed 2,100, according to a local monitoring group.
Ministers meeting in Phnom Penh from Wednesday are expected to lament the lack of progress on ASEAN鈥檚 鈥渇ive-point consensus鈥� plan, agreed to in April last year, which called for an immediate end to violence and dialogue between the junta and coup opponents.
As well as voicing 鈥渄eep concern鈥� about recent developments and calling for restraint, the ministers will also demand 鈥渃oncrete actions to effectively and fully implement the Five-Point Consensus,鈥� according to a draft communique obtained by AFP.
After more than a year of no progress on the plan, Malaysia will present a framework for its implementation, even as critics deride the ASEAN as a toothless talking shop.
鈥淭he key element of the framework is there must be an end-game. You have to have an end-game. What is the end-game of the five-point consensus?鈥� Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah told AFP.
鈥楳aking a mockery鈥�
Within the bloc, frustrations are growing after the Myanmar junta went ahead with its first executions in decades despite personal pleas from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Among the four executed were Phyo Zeya Thaw, a rapper-turned-lawmaker from ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi鈥檚 National League for Democracy party and veteran political activist Kyaw Min Yu 鈥� better known as 鈥淛immy.鈥�
鈥淚t shows the junta is making a mockery of the (consensus plan),鈥� Saifuddin wrote in a weekend newspaper article.
Singapore鈥檚 Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan characterized the executions as a 鈥済rave setback鈥� to ASEAN鈥檚 efforts to resolve the crisis, while Thailand鈥檚 foreign ministry spokesman Tanee Sangrat said the move 鈥渁ggravates the vexing problems of Myanmar.鈥�
A senior ASEAN diplomat told AFP he does not expect any country to go as far as calling for Myanmar鈥檚 expulsion from the bloc.
But some members, led by Malaysia and the Philippines, want to bar the military regime from sending ministers to all ASEAN meetings 鈥� including November鈥檚 summit 鈥� until there is progress on the five-point plan.
鈥淧olitical appointees of the administration, especially the military administration are not welcome,鈥� the Philippines鈥� Assistant Foreign Secretary for ASEAN Affairs Daniel Espiritu said.
Myanmar鈥檚 top diplomat, Wunna Maung Lwin, has not been invited to Phnom Penh and was also left out of a foreign ministers鈥� retreat in February, while junta leader Min Aung Hlaing was snubbed at a leaders鈥� summit last year.
鈥淓ven North Korea is welcome at this forum but the Myanmar junta isn鈥檛鈥� it has to be recognized just how isolated Myanmar is, even in its neighborhood,鈥� said Aaron Connelly, a Southeast Asia specialist at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Maritime row
Along with the Ukraine-Russia conflict, ongoing South China Sea tensions will be another hot button issue on the agenda.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will fly in, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russia鈥檚 top diplomat Sergei Lavrov also expected to attend and hold meetings with the ASEAN ministers.
But analysts do not expect a repeat of 2012 when Cambodia 鈥� a key Beijing ally 鈥� last hosted ASEAN and was accused of siding with China on the disputed sea, resulting in no communique being issued.
鈥淐ambodia has learnt its lesson. It was the first time ASEAN didn鈥檛 come up with a joint statement and Cambodia got big blowback from it,鈥� said Thailand鈥檚 Chulalongkorn University analyst Thitinan Pongsudhirak.
鈥淗un Sen.. doesn鈥檛 want to shoot himself in the foot again.鈥�
China claims most of the sea 鈥� with competing territorial assertions from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.