Singapore says Asean to ‘expedite’ Myanmar plan, as UN warns that civil war looms
- Singapore’s foreign minister acknowledged that implementation of Asean’s five-point consensus on Myanmar had been ‘slow and a little disappointing’
- Meanwhile, the UN rights chief warned of a post-coup ‘human rights catastrophe’ that was driving the troubled country towards possible civil war
“We recognise that implementation of the five-point consensus has been slow and a little disappointing,” Vivian Balakrishnan said on Tuesday in written replies to parliamentary questions.
“We are working within Asean to expedite this process, with a view to alleviate the humanitarian situation, cease the violence in Myanmar, and set it back on the path of direct negotiation by all stakeholders that will lead to normalcy, peace, and stability for the long term.”
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His remarks came on the same day that United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet lamented that Myanmar in recent months “has evolved from a political crisis to a multidimensional human rights catastrophe”.
“Suffering and violence throughout the country are devastating prospects for sustainable development, and raise the possibility of state failure or a broader civil war,” she said on Tuesday at the UN Human Rights Council.
In addition, she cautioned, “the catastrophic developments in Myanmar since the coup … are generating clear potential for massive insecurity, with fallout for the wider region.”