ASEAN urged to link Myanmar’s reintegration to demonstrable progress

Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing has held high-level meetings with several ASEAN members, including Malaysia, since April.

The contacts are making bilateral relations more normal, but Myanmar’s political representation at ASEAN meetings remains restricted.

ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus is its peace plan after Myanmar’s 2021 military coup, but progress on putting it into practice has been limited.

The commentary says practical cooperation with Myanmar is needed, but bilateral ties should not decide Myanmar’s standing in ASEAN.

It says progress should be judged against shared benchmarks, including protecting civilians, releasing political detainees and delivering aid nationwide.

A complete end to violence may not be realistic soon because many armed groups are involved in a fragmented conflict.

ASEAN should keep the peace plan as its common benchmark and turn its goals into outcomes that can be assessed.