In a joint statement, former foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah, former Thai foreign minister Kasit Piromya, and three former United Nations experts on Myanmar – all founding members of the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar – said the 47th Asean Summit this month was the bloc’s “final chance to act” and to “unequivocally reject the junta’s sham election”.
They said the military regime’s plan to hold an election on Dec 28 failed to meet the basic conditions for legitimacy outlined by foreign minister Mohamad Hasan, who recently stated that the polls must be free, fair, transparent, and credible.
“Anything short of rejection would be a callous betrayal of the Myanmar people and a dangerous reward to violent authoritarianism,” said the statement, which was also issued by Marzuki Darusman, Yanghee Lee and Chris Sidoti.
The group also condemned the junta’s “propaganda campaign” after it falsely claimed that Mohamad had agreed to send Malaysian election observers and accused Asean of “four years of failure” in enforcing its five-point consensus on Myanmar – a five-point peace roadmap to which the top general had agreed.
The group said Asean’s inaction had allowed the spread of mass killings, transnational crime, and impunity, warning that “an emboldened junta is ramping up its targeted killings of civilians, including children”.
Recent attacks include an Oct 6 bombing in Sagaing region which killed at least 26 people and injured 40 during a Buddhist festival, and a September airstrike on a Rakhine state school which reportedly killed 22 students.
Last Friday, state-run Global New Light of Myanmar said Mohamad “vowed to send electoral observation teams to Myanmar” after a meeting in Naypyidaw with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing.
Mohamad later clarified that Asean would discuss Myanmar’s request for observers at the Asean foreign ministers’ meeting, although he said he didn’t expect the regional bloc to agree to it.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since a 2021 military coup that overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and triggered an armed rebellion which led to large parts of the country slipping out of the junta’s control.
Although Myanmar is an Asean member, the bloc has barred its military leaders from its meetings since 2022, citing their failure to adopt the five-point peace roadmap.
In their statement, Saifuddin, Kasit, and the three former UN experts urged Asean to adopt a new strategy on Myanmar by rejecting the junta’s election and expanding sanctions by excluding all junta representatives from Asean meetings.
They also called on Asean to pursue a democratic roadmap by engaging stakeholders – including the National Unity Government, ethnic resistance groups, and civil society – while pushing for a nationwide ceasefire and the unobstructed delivery of humanitarian assistance.