Asean looks to China for ‘follow-up’ on stalled Myanmar consensus plan

Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said she raised the Myanmar coup crisis during talks with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi

Singapore’s Vivian Balakrishnan said Asean was disappointed by the slow progress in the implementation of the five-point blueprint

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A protester against Myanmar's junta holds a placard criticising the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, during a demonstration in Mandalay on June 5. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:56pm, 7 Jun 2021Updated: 11:48pm, 7 Jun 2021

Asean leaders on Monday insisted that the five-point consensus plan forged in April to de-escalate Myanmar’s post-coup violence needed to be implemented without delay, with Indonesia saying it would appreciate China’s help to “follow up” on the matter.

The remarks by the top diplomats of Indonesia and Singapore came on the sidelines of a meeting in Chongqing between Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers and their Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, and as hundreds of civil society groups jointly criticised the bloc for its inertia in dealing with Myanmar’s crisis.

Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said Asean was “disappointed” with the “very, very slow progress” in the implementation of the five-point blueprint agreed to on April 24.

“Unfortunately, we know that there are still civilians who have been hurt or killed. There has been no release of political detainees, there has been no real sign of meaningful political dialogue and negotiation. So we’ll have to watch this space,” Balakrishnan was quoted as saying by national broadcaster CNA. He was speaking to Singapore media following Monday’s talks.

Balakrishnan said Asean had no intention of interfering in Myanmar’s internal affairs as “in the end, only the people themselves within Myanmar can determine its future”.