Mohamad said the “wishes” were identified after months of engagements by Malaysia’s special envoy with all major stakeholders, including ethnic groups and civil society representatives.
“The majority of them want the release of political prisoners, a ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian aid,” he said at a press conference here yesterday following the conclusion of the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings.
“With that, I will see my counterpart (Than Swe) and meet their prime minister (Min Aung Hlaing) and present to him what we have compiled so far.
“Hopefully, from there, we can come up with something positive for the sake of the people of Myanmar.”
Asean has been working to end Myanmar’s longstanding political and humanitarian crisis, despite the ruling State Administrative Council’s (SAC) attempts to limit Asean’s influence on local politics through the bloc’s five-point consensus (5PC) and inclusive engagement with all Myanmar stakeholders.
Blocked consensus
Earlier in July, the SAC threatened to block Timor-Leste’s accession to Asean, an upcoming new bloc member.
Myanmar’s military rulers had reportedly sent a formal letter urging Asean to block Timor-Leste’s entry, accusing the country of violating the bloc’s non-interference principle after engaging with Myanmar’s shadow government, the National Unity Government (NUG).
Timor-Leste has since dismissed the junta’s objection as “inconsequential and irrelevant”, while observers have labelled the move an attempt to deter Asean members from engaging and supporting a Myanmar government involving the NUG.
Myanmar’s stance on Timor-Leste also appears increasingly isolated after Asean foreign ministers reaffirmed in their joint communiqué that Timor-Leste will be admitted as the bloc’s 11th member at the October summit.
“We reaffirmed Asean’s commitment to an inclusive and sustainable regional community by supporting Timor-Leste’s full membership,” they said, citing Dili’s active observer role and its willingness to accede to all Asean treaties and agreements.
Joanne Lin of Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute said Myanmar’s attempt to block Timor-Leste’s accession held little weight due to the 5PC.
“5PC actually calls for engagement with all parties concerned in Myanmar, which includes the NUG government,” she said.
Meanwhile, Asean secretary-general Kao Kim Hourn confirmed that Myanmar and Timor-Leste have begun direct talks to resolve their differences ahead of the October summit.
“Myanmar and Timor-Leste have been sitting down together, and I believe they are sorting out their differences. So, on that front, there has been positive development. I don’t foresee any problem for the upcoming accession by Timor-Leste in October,” he told the media during an interview.