MANILA and Singapore, in a break from Asean’s tradition of non-interference, have assailed Myanmar’s military rulers after prodemocracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was convicted to four years in prison.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., who has always been open about his support for Suu Kyi, issued what could be his most stinging rebuke since the junta staged the February 2021 coup that unseated and detained democratically elected Suu Kyi.
This, as Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said because of the new verdict on Suu Kyi, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) should continue to sideline Myanmar junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing at their future summit meetings.
“I condemn [the] sentencing to four years in prison of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. The military regime is using the judicial system to silence political opponents and crush the National League for Democracy,” Locsin said in a statement released to media Sunday.
On Monday, a Myanmar court found Suu Kyi guilty of three charges including possession of unlicensed walkie-talkies and breaching coronavirus curbs. Last month, she was also convicted for “incitement” and breaching Covid-19 protocols. When combined, these two verdicts have netted the 76-year-old leader six years in detention.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner is also facing multiple counts of corruption—each of which is punishable by 15 years in jail—and of violating the Official Secrets Act. Along with Myanmar’s president Win Myint and 15 other officials, she was also charged with alleged electoral fraud during the 2020 elections—which her party, the National League for Democracy, won in a landslide.
Echoing in toto the statement of Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt, Locsin said nearly one year has passed since the military coup and yet “the situation has deteriorated sharply in all areas of society.”
“I am deeply concerned about the suffering of the civilian population,” he added.
Singapore’s Lee
Singaporean Premier Lee made a similar observation, saying, “there had not been any significant progress” in the implementation of the demands set forth by Asean leaders in April 2021. The five-point peace plan is for: a ceasefire, constructive dialogue among parties for peaceful solution, mediation of an Asean special envoy, Asean humanitarian assistance, visit of special envoy to Myanmar to meet Suu Kyi and all concerned parties.
Lee said that just days after the visit of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to Myanmar, there were further attacks by the Myanmar military on its political opponents, and additional prison sentences were imposed on Suu Kyi. Asean could not coordinate a ceasefire because its special envoy was refused access to Suu Kyi and other parties.
“Prime Minister Lee expressed his view that until there was significant progress in implementing the Five-Point Consensus, Asean should maintain its decision reached at the 38th and 39th Asean Summits of inviting a non-political representative from Myanmar to Asean meetings. Any discussion to revise the Asean Leaders’ decision had to be based on new facts,” the Singapore Foreign Minister said in its news release.
Locsin’s call was more direct— release all its political prisoners, uphold democratic institutions and processes, refrain from violence and respect human rights and rule of law.
“We also call on the military leadership to participate in an inclusive dialogue and resume the democratic transition process,” the top Filipino diplomat said.
Suu Kyi indispensable
The Philippine foreign minister also suggested that Suu Kyi, “despite her conviction,” be made part of the ceasefire talks among the Asean special envoy and the ethnic armed organizations. “The armed forces of Myanmar have nothing to fear, and much to gain, from the democracy it introduced to Myanmar by stepping back nor by its restoration by doing so again. Suu Kyi is indispensable in a democratic restoration that will pose no threat of anarchy, dissolution, and civil conflict,” he said.
The Special Envoy’s access to all parties concerned must not be subject to any conditionality. Most especially, the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus must not be tied to any roadmap, for the Consensus is the only one agreed to by the Asean leaders during that meeting in Jakarta in April 2021.
Asean foreign ministers were supposed to meet for a retreat in Siem Reap Cambodia on January 18-19, but such was postponed indefinitely as many ministers has “difficulties traveling to attend the meeting.” Cambodia holds the rotating chairmanship of Asean meetings for this year.
In the meantime, Locsin said he will work with his colleagues in Asean “to find measures to ease the suffering of the people of Myanmar, and push for dialogue among all stakeholders, most especially Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and substantial progress in the Five-Point Consensus of Asean.”
The Philippines will also work with Norway, president of the UN Security Council for this month, to find ways “to end the killings” in Myanmar.
Both Manila and Singapore welcomed the visit of Hun Sen to Myanmar during the first week of January. Prime Minister Lee had a video call meeting with Sen last Friday.
Locsin said Hun Sen “deserves wholehearted support,” recalling Hun Sen’s leadership role ‘in bringing to an end the mass murders and suffering in the nationwide death camp of Kampuchea.”
Malaysia’s concern
However, Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said some Asean members were concerned Hun Sen’s trip could be “construed or interpreted as a recognition of the military in Myanmar.”
“Malaysia is of the opinion that he has the right to visit Myanmar as the head of government of Cambodia. However, we also feel that because he has already assumed the chair of Asean, he could have probably consulted the other Asean leaders and sought our views as to what he should do if he were to go to Myanmar,” Saifuddin was quoted as saying.