Saifuddin hosted a meeting focused on Myanmar at the Malaysian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York yesterday, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, taking place this week.
“There should be an inclusive and fair consultation with all stakeholders in Myanmar, including the NUG and NUCC (National Unity Consultative Council).
“Then there should be a framework with a clear endgame, which includes a return to democracy in Myanmar,” Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) quoted Saifuddin as saying.
It said Saifuddin is the only Asean minister who has publicly met with members of the NUG, “the legitimate government in Myanmar, which represents the democratic aspirations of the country’s people”.
The meeting was also attended by the NUG minister for human rights, U Aung Myo Min; the NUG minister of communications, information and technology as well as its spokesman, U Htin Linn Aung; the permanent representative of Myanmar to the UN, Kyaw Moe Tun; and representatives of other Myanmar pro-democracy organisations.
Also present were Charles Santiago, the Klang MP and APHR chairman; Heidi Hautala, vice-president of the European Parliament and chair of the International Parliamentary Inquiry (IPI) into the global response to the crisis in Myanmar; Mercy Chriesty Barends, member of the Indonesian House of Representatives; and Tom Villarin, a former congressman from the Philippines.
Since the coup on Feb 1, 2021, Myanmar has been plunged into a crisis, as the military junta led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing continues to assert its power.
“Nineteen months after the coup, the international allies of the junta have shown a commitment to supporting Min Aung Hlaing which surpasses that of those countries claiming to support the pro-democracy movement,” Santiago said.
“Simply put, the latter is not doing enough to help the Myanmar people, as countries like Russia or China actively support the military, engage the junta and give it the recognition it so keenly craves.
“It is high time for those governments that claim to support democracy in Myanmar to act forcefully.”