Manila. ASEAN is hoping that it can have Myanmar fully back in the group one day, as the Southeast Asian bloc stays unbudged on its five-point peace plan approach.

Myanmar has largely been frozen out of ASEAN since its military toppled the civilian government of democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. ASEAN has come up with a “five-point consensus”, which calls for a dialogue between the warring factions in Myanmar and a stop to violence. The 11-member club has even sent envoys to spur progress on the plan. 

“We still refer to the five-point consensus as the main reference point for engaging with Myanmar,” ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn recently told the 10th ASEAN Media Forum in Manila.

Kao went on to say the group seeks an end to the crisis, while “wanting to see a full reintegration of Myanmar into ASEAN” at the same time.

ASEAN has barred Myanmar’s officials from its summits and high-level talks. Despite the freeze, Kao confirmed that Myanmar was still making its “annual contributions” to the regional grouping. 

Theresa Lazaro, serving as ASEAN’s Myanmar special envoy, is planning to go on a humanitarian mission to the war-ravaged country later this year. 

Lazaro, who is also the Philippine foreign secretary, said that an opportunity to meet with the detained Suu Kyi “would really put ASEAN back on the world map”, alluding to how it would counter criticisms of the group’s handling. She also admitted to having avoided being too demanding as an envoy, but kept her “fingers crossed” for talks with Suu Kyi.

Manila currently assumes ASEAN rotating chairmanship, and will pass the baton to Singapore next year.

Just recently, Myanmar’s junta chief turned president Min Aung Hlaing accused some ASEAN member states of having discriminated against his administration, without mentioning any specific country.

“The five-point consensus is not the consensus of all ASEAN member states. It was only the statement of the then-ASEAN chair, Brunei,” Min Aung Hlaing said on Friday, as reported by the news agency Myanmar Now.

Min Aung Hlaing officially rose to power in April after winning a military-engineered election widely considered rigged.

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