ASEAN resolves to respond to Rakhine crisis

ASEAN is finally set to weigh in on international concerns over the situation in Myanmar’s troubled Rakhine state as the region’s foreign ministers prepare to convene in Yangon on Monday.

In a first for the regional body, uncharacteristic of ASEAN leaders who for decades have upheld the non-interference principal, Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has called for a special “informal” ASEAN meeting as a follow-up to her tête-à-tête with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi in Naypyidaw last week, a ministry official has confirmed.

Nikkei Asian Review previously reported that the call for the meeting was made during an informal gathering of senior ASEAN officials in Bali over the weekend.

Nikkei said the Bali meeting was originally called to discuss current global issues, including uncertainty brought about by the incoming Donald Trump administration in the US.

“[The meeting in Yangon] was more the result of [Retno’s] visit to Myanmar on Dec. 6,” Jose AM Tavares, the ministry’s director general for ASEAN cooperation, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

He said Retno and the Nobel laureate had set a date for the ASEAN meeting following the former’s visit to Naypyidaw. “Ibu [Retno] is leading the way.”

Jose also said last week’s informal gathering in Bali, which he attended, had more to do with preparing technical aspects ahead of the foreign ministers’ meeting on Dec. 19.

Next week’s Yangon meeting will mark the first time ASEAN leaders have collectively responded to growing international criticism of Suu Kyi for not stopping the military’s alleged campaign against the country’s Rohingya Muslim minority.

The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AIHCR) is also looking into the
situation.

More than 20,000 Rohingya have fled over the border to Bangladesh, reporting rape, murder and arson. Their claims have been denied by government officials.

The military’s crackdown followed attacks on Oct. 9 by Rohingyan militants on police posts along the Myanmar border with Bangladesh, leaving nine officers dead.

One report by the London-based Burma Human Rights Network stated at least 30,000 people in Rakhine had been internally displaced, while ongoing violence has led to shortages of food and aid for more than 70,000 people in the area.

Suu Kyi earlier described the situation as being “under control” and asked the international community to stop stoking the “fires of resentment”.

Indonesia and Malaysia - both Muslim-majority countries - have raised concerns about the crackdown in Rakhine, with recent protests in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak joined the opposition at a rally in Kuala Lumpur last week to support Rohingya people. Najib said the crackdown had a direct impact on Malaysia, as tens of thousands of Rohingya had over the years arrived in the country to escape persecution, by boat and via Thailand.

Malaysia has more than 56,000 Rohingya and Myanmar refugees registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, with thousands more undocumented.

Last week, UN special adviser on Myanmar Vijay Nambiar urged Suu Kyi to visit the reportedly worst-affected areas in Rakhine “to reassure the civilian population there that they will be protected”.

Suu Kyi also met last week with former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan and his commission to investigate the conflict in Rakhine state.

Annan presented his findings during the week-long tour of Rakhine state, the Myanmar Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Source: The Jakarta Post