Jakarta. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Wednesday said that ASEAN chair Indonesia had been engaging with stakeholders to resolve the crisis in fellow member state Myanmar.

According to Retno, Indonesia never fails to endorse the five-point consensus when engaging in Myanmar-related discussions. This peace plan, which ASEAN adopted in 2021, demands a constructive dialogue among all parties and an immediate end to violence, among other things.

“In our engagements with the stakeholders in Myanmar, Indonesia continues to call for the cessation of violence and the use of force, [...] amidst worries of increasing use of violence which leads to a growing number of civilian casualties,” Retno told a press briefing on Wednesday.

Retno, however, did not specify who were the stakeholders in Myanmar that Indonesia had been in talks with. 

At the presser, Indonesia announced it had been making some progress in relation to the aid provision by the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Center), which is also mentioned in the five-point peace plan.

“Indonesia has facilitated the reopening of communication and consultation with various stakeholders. So the AHA Center can deliver humanitarian assistance to the people in need, regardless of their ethnic background, religion, and political orientation,” Retno said.

“With Indonesia facilitating, the AHA Center has successfully consulted with several stakeholders. This is something that could not be done before. So there is some movement in regards to the access given to the AHA Center,” she added.

Indonesia last month updated the UN Security Council on Myanmar matters in a closed-door meeting. 

“And for the very first time, the ASEAN Chair has met with a number of special envoys, including those of the UN Secretary-General, the neighboring countries of Myanmar, as well as other nations. This is to encourage coordination and synergy while strengthening ASEAN centrality,” the minister said.

Retno said the meetings with the UN Security Council and the special envoys clearly showed “strong support” for Indonesia’s chairmanship, ASEAN centrality, and the five-point consensus.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners reported that as of today, 3,212 people had been killed in the military crackdown against the pro-democracy movement since the coup in Feb. 2021.

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