CRPH/NUG Support Group (Australia) statement on ASEAN leaders’ review and decisions of ASEAN’S 5 Point Consensus for Myanmar

Tuesday, 22 November 2022
CRPH/NUG Support Group (Australia)

The CRPH/NUG Support Group Australia welcomes the release of Professor Sean Turnell and that he is safely home in Australia.

However, Myanmar has a history of releasing prisoners at politically opportune times such as the announcement of his release in the midst of the current Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in Thailand. His release should not deter ASEAN and international focus away from the brutality of the Myanmar military’s activities since the coup in February 2021.

The ASEAN 5 Point Consensus has been implemented since 24 April 2021   after the ASEAN summit which the military coup leader General Min Aung Hlaing visited soon after he killed about 700 unarmed peaceful demonstrators. The coup leader agreed and promised ASEAN leaders that Myanmar will return to dialogue with all stakeholders in Myanmar.  However, until now not only has there been no action by General Min Aung Hlaing, regarding any of the agreements with ASEAN leaders he has continued killing over 1600 innocent civilians, carried out unlawful capital punishment of four democracy activists including a parliamentary lawmaker, burning villages, and bombing self defence forces across the country. More than 1.3 million people have fled from military attacks on villages and over 13 million people are facing poverty.

The ASEAN review of progress on the implementation of the 5PC by Myanmar and its decision to continue with its objectives is disappointing. ASEAN leaders remain blind to the numbers of innocent civilians repeatedly facing atrocities ordered by the coup leader. In its review, ASEAN leaders concluded that the situation in Myanmar remains critical and fragile as a result of escalating violence. This clearly shows that Myanmar’s citizens do not accept the coup and reject military control of the country, and nothing has been achieved since the 5PC.

The only way to exert more support for the people of Myanmar is for ASEAN to respond both unilaterally in condemning the coup and signalling its support for the divergent groups resisting military oppression as well as working multilaterally with the United States, Japan, UK, and EU., Despite manifold shortcomings both ASEAN and the UN need to work together, to ensure the coup will fail.

Therefore, we CRPH/NUG Support Group Australia Myanmar diaspora strongly demand the following:

• ASEAN to bar representation of the military from attending all ASEAN meetings including ASEAN summits, ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meetings, and all other meetings throughout the entire ASEAN system.
• ASEAN must engage with the representatives of all the peoples of Myanmar who are and have always been ready to engage; and hold a stakeholder dialogue – including NUG, CRPH, Ethnic Resistance Organizations (EROs), NLD, Civil Disobedience and peoples’ movements, Committees representing Interim State/Federal Units, and Civil Society, especially including women’s platforms for serious consultation on the way ahead. We also need to be consulted in the development of the implementation plan of the 5PC that outlines concrete, practical and measurable indicators with a specific timeline.
• ASEAN needs to understand the fact that the military-organized elections will not provide any kind of ‘exit strategy’ from the status quo and is not an option for a solution to the crisis and will not be tolerated by the people.
• ASEAN should understand that the 2008 Constitution is the primary flaw and has been a rubber stamp for military rule in Myanmar for decades. That is the reason why people voted overwhelmingly for the NLD in the 2020 elections as they promised constitutional reform. This is the reason why the NUCC/CRPH/NUG has suspended the 2008 constitution and is proposing a roadmap to a constitutional assembly and a new federal democracy constitution.
• ASEAN’s non-discriminatory humanitarian assistance to vulnerable people is welcome. We request that it is implemented through trusted partners and with the National Unity Government.

Media contact: 

Ko Saulsman
Spokesperson of CRPH/NUG Support Group (Australia)
E: Office.VIC@CRPH-NUGsupportaust

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn