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Free Malaysia Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Asean envoy to Myanmar needs permanent office, says expert
Myanmar's military junta has been engaged in violent conflicts with various ethnic groups, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis after an earthquake in March led to 3 million people being displaced. (EPA Images pic) PETALING JAYA : Asean should set up a permanent office to support the appointment of an Asean special envoy to Myanmar, according to an international affairs expert. Johan Saravanamuttu of Universiti Malaya's Asia-Europe Institute said the office of the permanent envoy could be housed within the Asean Secretariat, where the envoy would have access to dedicated resources and support staff. Asean leaders are reported to have agreed last week to appoint a full-time permanent special envoy to focus exclusively on Myanmar's ongoing crisis. Johan said the current system of rotating special envoys forces unnecessary handovers as the role passes from one country to another. Johan Saravanamuthu. He said Malaysia, as the Asean chair for 2025, has to provide all the services to its special envoy, Othman Hashim, who was appointed in January. The next special envoy for Myanmar will be from the Philippines, which takes over as the next Asean chair. 'So the Malaysian-appointed envoy will then have to report to the Philippines-appointed envoy and tell them this is what we have done, and so on,' he added. He said Indonesia, as Asean chair in 2023, had held over 250 meetings with various parties about Myanmar. 'All records should be transferred to the permanent office to maintain institutional memory,' said Johan. Johan said the principle of quiet diplomacy, as espoused by prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, will remain despite the appointment of a permanent envoy, who will continue facilitating discreet negotiations with Myanmar's conflicting parties without premature public announcements. 'As of now, there is no appetite to have any kind of dialogue between the State Administrative Council (SAC), the military leaders and the resistance groups,' he said. 'So we hope that, at some point, the special envoy will be able to bring some level of dialogue between the different groups, in a sense, and also to have some kind of dialogue with the junta as to how we could progress towards a peaceful resolution of conflicts.' Asean's approach to Myanmar since the 2021 military coup has faced criticism for being slow and ineffective. The bloc's Five-Point Consensus, which includes appointing a special envoy to engage with all stakeholders, remains the cornerstone of its peace efforts. Yazid Zul Kepli. Regional security analyst Yazid Zul Kepli recommended complementing quiet diplomacy with shuttle diplomacy and humanitarian coordination through Track 1.5 or Track 2 dialogues, which involve officials, academics, NGOs, and civil society actors. 'These formats allow for informal exchanges to build trust and explore solutions without the pressure of official negotiations,' he said. For success, Yazid stressed the envoy must have a strong regional mandate, be neutral, and be experienced in diplomacy. 'The envoy could also help manage Myanmar's spillover effects across the region, including transnational crime, job scam-related money laundering, and refugee displacement, by coordinating responses and engaging with law enforcement and humanitarian agencies,' he said.
Free Malaysia Today
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Asean mulls permanent envoy to Myanmar on 3-year term
Foreign minister Mohamad Hasan at the Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur today. (Bernama pic) KUALA LUMPUR : Asean foreign ministers are considering a proposal to appoint a permanent special envoy to handle the protracted Myanmar crisis, in a shift from the current practice of rotating the role annually among member states. Foreign minister Mohamad Hasan said they had agreed to begin internal consultations on the proposal, which received broad support at the Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AFMM) here today. 'To us, every year we have to change the special envoy, then we have to start all over again and there's no end to it. 'So, we have agreed that we want to explore (this proposal) … and nobody said otherwise. 'And it's just a matter of who is going to be the permanent special envoy, well, maybe for a three-year term,' he told a press conference after chairing the meeting. Under existing arrangements, the special envoy is appointed by the Asean chair on a yearly basis. As chair for 2025, Malaysia has named Othman Hashim as the bloc's fifth envoy since the February 2021 military coup that plunged Myanmar into political and humanitarian turmoil. When asked about whether Asean's non-interference policy limited its ability to handle the civil war in Myanmar, Mohamad reiterated that the 'Asean way' does not seek to meddle in the internal affairs of its member states. However, he said the Myanmar crisis has spilled over to neighbouring countries. 'We now have to deal with transnational crime, money laundering via job scams, millions of people being displaced and a growing refugee crisis. 'Malaysia itself is dealing with 200,000 Rohingya refugees. 'We are not trying to meddle in their affairs, but this has become an Asean issue,' he said.
New Straits Times
25-05-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Asean mulls permanent envoy post to handle Myanmar crisis
KUALA LUMPUR: Asean foreign ministers have agreed to consider appointing a permanent special envoy to continue engagement with Myanmar amid its ongoing crisis. This was announced by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan during a press conference ahead of the 46th Asean Summit tomorrow. "The majority agreed (for the proposal that there is a need for a permanent appointment), nobody said otherwise. "We are looking for a three year term first, else we (Asean countries) will need to take turns each year," he said. The current Asean's Special Envoy to Myanmar is Tan Sri Othman Hashim.
