ASEAN – Issues such as the South China Sea conflicts, regional power competition between China and the Western-led Quad alliance, Myanmar‘s military persecution of its Rohingya community, and this year’s coup d’etat have all put ASEAN unity to the test in recent years. Too frequently, bureaucrats fail to present a cohesive front, instead issuing feeble, formulaic pronouncements in reaction to …

ASEAN – According to a UN rights expert, UN Security Council members China and Russia, as well as Serbia, have continued to provide Myanmar’s military with weapons used to attack people since last year’s coup. Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, has called for an emergency session of the Security Council to …

Myanmar – The Myanmar junta turned down a request from a regional special envoy to meet with a group of expelled MPs, which it had labeled a terrorist organization, on Sunday, as part of efforts to break a year-long political impasse since the coup. Since the putsch in February 2021, Myanmar has been in disarray, its economy has been paralyzed, …

Malaysia – Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah underlined that Wisma Putra would make no announcements on nominees for Malaysia’s envoys overseas. “Wisma Putra will announce the names only when the persons have received documents of appointment from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and we will withhold the identities until there are none,” he told a news conference after officiating the …

Myanmar – Myanmar’s junta on Monday (Feb 14) said it would not attend an upcoming ASEAN summit after the bloc’s “regrettable” exclusion of its top diplomat over a lack of progress in defusing post-coup violence. ASEAN invited Myanmar to send a “non-political representative” to this week’s foreign ministers’ meeting, citing a lack of progress on a consensus agreed last year …

Cambodia – A senior Cambodian official said on Monday that Myanmar military commander Min Aung Hlaing consented to prepare for an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) special envoy from Cambodia to see members of the deposed governing party during a future visit. The declaration, made in a video conversation with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Jan. 26, signals …

ASEAN – Rather than the country’s military-appointed foreign minister, Cambodia‘s foreign ministry announced on Thursday that a non-political delegate from Myanmar had been asked to join a conference of Southeast Asian foreign ministers later this month. Because of the lack of progress on an Asean peace plan, members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have not achieved an agreement …

Myanmar – Myanmar’s junta was dealt another diplomatic setback when the Asean regional bloc prohibited its top diplomat from attending the meeting of foreign ministers. Cambodia, which now holds the rotating presidency of the group, said there had been too little movement on a “five-point consensus” reached by leaders last year in an attempt to resolve the Myanmar situation. According to …

ASEAN – One year after the military seized control in Myanmar, Singapore said that the situation there remained “very concerning” and that it is disappointed by the lack of progress on an ASEAN strategy to address the humanitarian crisis. Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement that the people of Myanmar’s situation “continues to deteriorate,” and urged Myanmar’s …

Myanmar – According to a source, a court in army-ruled Myanmar will begin an election fraud prosecution of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 14, after she was accused of manipulating the 2020 election to secure a second term in government. Suu Kyi is on trial in over a dozen crimes and has already been sentenced to a …