Asean mulling permanent special envoy on Myanmar, says Tok Mat
The Foreign Minister said none of his counterparts objected to the proposal of appointing an Asean permanent special envoy for a three-year term.
'The candidate of the permanent special envoy, was discussed at the senior officials meeting (SOM) level and it will be brought to the leaders.
'Basically, the idea of having a permanent special envoy was well received by the respective Asean member states,' said Mohamad during a press conference at the KL Convention Centre (KLCC) on Sunday (May 25).
Mohamad was speaking to reporters after chairing the 36th Asean Coordinating Council (ACC) meeting.
Presently, the Special Envoy to Myanmar is Tan Sri Othman Hashim, who is the former human rights commission (Suhakam) chairman.
Mohamad said he will be heading to Naypyidaw, Myanmar in June to meet with the military junta.
'As chair of Asean, I am going to talk to them further. We have to be patient, because the warring factions have been against each other for decades.
'It is not as simple as what we think,' said Mohamad.
Mohamad said Malaysia does not want to interfere in Myanmar's internal affairs, as it is the Asean policy of non-interference.
But, Mohamad said the ongoing Myanmar issue has caused transnational crimes and a refugee crisis affecting neighbouring countries.
'That is why, many Asean countries agreed to deal with the Myanmar issue,' added Mohamad.
The Myanmar civil war, which was sparked by the coup d'état by its military junta in February 2021, has created lawless border regions that have allowed criminal syndicates to set up 'scam-parks', where foreign nationals are trafficked into the country and force to commit online scams.
Leaders in the region will meet during the 46th Asean Summit on May 26 and the summits with the Gulf Cooperation Council and China on May 27.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
12 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Suhakam: Current bullying complaint system ineffective, 'one-stop centre' needed
KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) has urged the government to strengthen the complaints system for bullying cases, saying the current mechanisms are fragmented and ineffective. Children's commissioner Dr Farah Nini Dusuki highlighted the lack of a 'one-stop centre' that filters and directs bullying complaints to all relevant agencies. "What we have now is a lot of gaps. The system is split and not comprehensive," she said. Farah was speaking at a special briefing session for members of parliament on bullying, held by the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Women, Children and Community Development today. The session was delivered by the Childline Foundation in collaboration with the Office of the Children's Commissioner (OCC) and Suhakam. Farah said that existing platforms were also not child-friendly, pointing to the Education Ministry's reporting process via Public Complaints Management System (SisPAA), which uses bureaucratic terms and has no chat feature suitable for those under 18. She added that there are barriers such as digital inequality, language gaps, and a lack of accessibility for people with disabilities. Meanwhile, Farah acknowledged to lawmakers that the legislation process is long and thus urged the promotion of the bullying amendments to the Penal Code. The commissioner was referring to the Penal Code (Amendment) Act 2025 (Act A1750) introduced earlier this year, which aimed to address bullying, harassment, insults and identity misuse, including those committed online. "It may not be the best law, but at least it describes bullying as specific criminal offences," she said. Nevertheless, she called for a law for child offenders to be diverted to intervention programmes. "Diversion does not mean we are not taking action. We are taking action more proactively," she explained. Farah said that criminal charges should be a last resort and that child offenders should be dealt with outside of the criminal procedure. "If we can, we want to focus on children outside the criminal procedure. If someone really cannot be rehabilitated, then you can charge them under the Penal Code. "In Malaysia, the moment something happens, we go straight to punishment. We cannot have that kind of attitude. We must use hikmah (wisdom)," she said, adding that most troubled children she had met had roots of hardship at home.
The Star
19 hours ago
- The Star
Malaysia to retain ND6, ND7 terminology for oil and gas blocks, not Ambalat
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will continue to use the terms ND6 and ND7 for oil and gas blocks in the Sulawesi Sea, rather than adopting Indonesia's preferred reference to the Ambalat area, says Datuk Mohamad Alamin. The Deputy Foreign Minister told Parliament that discussions on renaming the blocks have not taken place, and Malaysia will maintain the existing terminology for now. He said the country would continue to address maritime boundary issues with Indonesia through technical meetings, stressing that negotiations should be conducted in a spirit of friendship rather than emotion. 'This year, we have had five meetings, and they will be used as best as possible to resolve matters, to discuss in a friendly way and not emotionally. 'At the same time, we will always safeguard Malaysia's sovereignty and ensure the rights and interests of Sabah are preserved,' he said during Question Time in Parliament on Wednesday (Aug 20). Mohamad was responding to a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee (PN-Beluran), who asked if Malaysia intended to adopt a more significant name to replace ND6 and ND7. The Deputy Minister also noted that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto issued a joint statement on June 27 during Anwar's official visit to Jakarta, which touched on the possibility of joint development in the Sulawesi Sea. He said the joint proposal was still at the early stage of consideration and had not been finalised. 'This is an initial effort by the leaders to explore the best solutions for both countries. 'The proposal is separate from the Sulawesi Sea Treaty signed on June 8, 2023, as that treaty only covers part of the territorial sea and does not include ND6 and ND7, which fall within the Exclusive Economic Zone or Continental Shelf,' Mohamad said. He added that in every negotiation with Indonesia, Malaysia would prioritise its sovereignty and the interests of Sabah. On joint development, Mohamad said Sabah and Sarawak leaders had agreed to continue negotiations under existing mechanisms. 'At the July 28-29 meeting, which also involved the Sabah Chief Minister and the Sarawak Premier, the Sulawesi Sea was discussed in general, and both leaders agreed that Malaysia and Indonesia should proceed with negotiations,' he said.
New Straits Times
19 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Malaysia sticks with ND6 & ND7 labels in Sulawesi sea dispute
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will continue to refer to the disputed areas in the Sulawesi Sea, which lies within the 1979 New Map of Malaysia, as Block ND6 and ND7, says Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin. He said there had been no discussions on renaming the area. "A new name has not yet been part of our discussions, but we will continue using the terms currently in place," he said during the oral question time in response to Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee in the Dewan Rakyat. Ronald (PN-Beluran), in his supplementary question, had asked whether Malaysia intended to assign a more significant name, adding that Indonesia referred to the waters belonging to Malaysia as Anbalat, while Malaysia called them Block ND6 and ND7. Mohamad reiterated that the Federal Government had always worked closely with the relevant stakeholders on matters concerning Malaysia's maritime boundaries through a whole-of-government approach. "Accordingly, in addressing the issue of maritime delimitation between Malaysia and Indonesia, the Federal Government consistently works in close cooperation with the Sabah Government throughout the negotiation and discussion process. "Representatives from the Sabah Government are also involved in the relevant meetings as well as the technical negotiations on maritime boundaries between Malaysia and Indonesia. "The Federal Government also consistently takes into serious account the views and positions of the Sabah Government in making any decisions, to ensure that Malaysia's sovereignty, sovereign rights, and interests are safeguarded at all times," he said. He added that discussions on maritime boundaries were conducted based on legal and technical principles in a careful, thorough, and prudent manner. Mohamad said that the proposal for joint development in the Sulawesi Sea remained at the preliminary consideration stage to explore the feasibility of such cooperation, and had not yet been finalised. "These are early efforts by both leaders to seek the best possible solution for both countries. "This joint proposal is also not part of the Sulawesi Sea Treaty signed on June 8, 2023, as that treaty only covers part of the territorial sea zone in the Sulawesi Sea and does not include Blocks ND6 and ND7, which are located in the Exclusive Economic Zone/Continental Shelf," he said. On the recent consultations with Indonesia last month, he said both Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto had agreed to instruct Malaysia and Indonesia to continue negotiations through the existing mechanism — the Technical Committee on Maritime Boundary Delimitation.
