Tradition v credibility: The meeting that decided on Myanmar snub

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN • Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore pushed for a harder stance against Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing at a "tense" meeting that decided to exclude him from a regional summit this month, four people with knowledge of the talks said.

South-east Asian ministers were divided between sticking to a tradition of non-interference and the need to retain credibility by sanctioning the coup leader, who has led a bloody crackdown on dissent since seizing power from Myanmar's civilian government on Feb 1, the sources said.

In the end it was the chair Brunei, with majority backing, that chose to keep him from attending the virtual Asean leaders' summit set for Oct 26 to 28, and invite instead a "non-political representative" from Myanmar.

The decision broke with Asean's decades-long policy of engagement and non-interference in the affairs of member nations. "The mood in the meeting had never been more tense," said a source with knowledge of the discussions.

"If you asked me if Asean would do something like this a year ago, I would have said it would never happen," said a regional diplomat. "Asean is changing."

Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said on Twitter that the outcome of the meeting was a "difficult but necessary decision to uphold Asean's credibility".

Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin said before the meeting that the bloc could no longer afford to take a neutral stance on Myanmar, adding that if it relented, "our credibility as a real regional organisation disappears... We're a bunch of guys who always agree with each other on the worthless things".

The 10-member Asean also includes Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

International pressure has been mounting on Asean for a harder line against Myanmar's failure to take agreed steps to end violence, allow humanitarian access and start dialogue with its opponents.

The grouping's perceived ineptitude has sparked outrage in Myanmar, with some anti-junta protesters burning the bloc's flag.

Two of the sources said there were fears that General Min Aung Hlaing's presence would deter other global leaders from attending the larger East Asia Summit, set for a few days after the Asean summit.

Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore floated the idea of sidelining the junta head at this month's meeting of Asean foreign ministers, said Asean's special envoy Erywan Yusof, as a tactic to win access to ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is being held at an unknown location.

Last week, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres postponed a call with South-east Asian ministers to avoid being in the same online room as a Myanmar military representative.

"The threats to disengage weren't made, at least explicitly, but there was anxiety on the part of member states that it would begin to affect Asean's credibility in a broader sense," said Mr Aaron Connelly, a South-east Asia researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

But the decision to sideline Gen Min Aung Hlaing represents "the most severe sanction that any Asean member state has ever been dealt by the organisation", he said.

REUTERS