ASEAN tells Myanmar junta peace, not election, is priority

Southeast Asian nations told Myanmar's military government on Sunday its plan to hold an election amid an escalating civil war should not be its priority, urging the junta to start dialogue and end hostilities immediately. 

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations called on the warring sides in member nation Myanmar to stop the fighting and told the junta's representative to allow unhindered humanitarian access, said Malaysia's foreign minister as the country takes over chairing ASEAN this year.

"Malaysia wants to know what Myanmar has in mind," Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told a press conference after a ministerial retreat on the island of Langkawi.  

"We told them the election is not a priority. The priority now is to cease fire."  

Myanmar has been in turmoil since early 2021 when its military overthrew the elected civilian government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering pro-democracy protests that morphed into a widening armed rebellion that has taken over swathes of the country.

Despite being battered on multiple fronts, its economy in tatters and dozens of political parties banned, the junta plans this year to hold an election, which critics have widely derided as a sham to keep the generals in power through proxies. 

Malaysia announced the appointment of former diplomat Othman Hashim as special envoy on the crisis in Myanmar, where the United Nations says humanitarian needs are at "alarming levels", with nearly 20 million people - more than a third of the population - needing help.

Mohamad said Othman would visit Myanmar "soon". 

SOUTH CHINA SEA A CONCERN

Othman is tasked with convincing all sides in Myanmar to implement ASEAN's five-point peace plan, which has made no progress since it was unveiled months after the coup. 

ASEAN has barred the ruling generals from attending its meetings over their failure to comply. Myanmar is represented by a senior diplomat.

"We want Myanmar to adhere to the Five-Point Consensus, to stop hostilities and have dialogue, it's very simple," Mohamad said. "What we want is unhindered humanitarian aid that can reach all in Myanmar."

Malaysia takes the chair of the 10-member bloc as it contends not only with the conflict in Myanmar but with Beijing's assertiveness in the South China Sea, the site of heated confrontations between ASEAN member the Philippines and China, a major source of the region's trade and investment. 

Vietnam and Malaysia have also protested over the conduct of Chinese vessels in their exclusive economic zones, which Beijing says are operating lawfully in its waters. 

China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, a conduit for about $3 trillion of annual ship-borne trade. China and ASEAN have committed to drafting a code of conduct for the South China Sea, but talks have moved at a snail's pace. 

Mohamad said ministers welcomed progress so far but "highlighted the need to continue the momentum to expedite the code of conduct". 

The foreign minister of U.S. ally the Philippines told Reuters on Saturday it was time to start negotiating thorny "milestone issues" for the code, including its scope, whether it can be legally binding and its impact on third-party states.