Myanmar’s Military Junta not included in ASEAN

Pressure is slowly building on the Myanmar junta, as ASEAN excludes it from the annual summit.

Myanmar’s Military Junta not included in ASEAN

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Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

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• The story: In a major decision, the ASEAN decided to exclude Myanmar’s military junta from its annual summit, a major setback for the Generals’ attempt to secure legitimacy for a brutal regime.
• Seizing power when defeated in elections: The Military always had a tight grip on Myanmar as the constitution guarantees it a quarter of all seats in parliament and control of its most powerful ministries. In November 2020's general election, military-backed party- USDP-performed poorly whereas the NLD did even better than in 2015. This created tensions between the armed forces and the government, and the opposition raised allegations of widespread fraud in the election which was not backed by the electoral commission. Myanmar's military seized power after detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratically elected leaders.
• Reign of terror: The junta unleashed a reign of terror claiming an estimated 1,000 lives. Ms. Suu Kyi who had been the State Councillor for five years from 2015 heading the quasi-democratic government has been in detention. In cities, protests turned into armed fighting between pro-democracy protesters and security personnel, while in the jungles, anti-junta groups joined hands with rebels for military training. The UN Special Envoy warned that Myanmar had descended into a civil war.
• International reaction: The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has accused the security forces of a "reign of terror". The US, UK and European Union have all responded with sanctions on military officials. The South East Asian countries have been pursuing diplomatic efforts to end the crisis. China blocked a UNSC statement condemning the coup, but has backed calls for the release of Ms Suu Kyi and a return to democratic norms.
• Exclusion of junta: In April 2020, Gen. Min Aung Hlaing was invited to Jakarta for emergency talks with ASEAN members which led to the ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus. The Consensus included immediately ending violence, starting the reconciliation process and allowing a regional special envoy to meet all stakeholders has not been met by the military regime.
• Summary: The global community can put pressure to restore democracy to Myanmar. For the moment, it doesn't seem to be working.
• EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) Explain the role of the military in Myanmar politics. (2) Why was Aung San Suu Kyi criticised, in the Rohingya case? Analyse.

Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

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