Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan has called on ASEAN nations to support an extension of the ceasefire in Myanmar, as the humanitarian crisis continues to worsen. At an emergency meeting with his ASEAN foreign minister counterparts in Kuala Lumpur, he delivered a powerful call to action. He noted the critical importance of extending this ceasefire beyond the four-month period and to all areas of Afghanistan.
Given that Malaysia currently holds the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN, Mohamad’s comments are particularly powerful. He emphasized how Myanmar’s problems had spread beyond its borders. As a direct result, ASEAN region neighbor countries are experiencing an increasing cascade of refugees. He noted the increasing occurrences of trans-border crime due to the Myanmar-induced chaos.
“Our efforts now focus on de-escalation of violence and greater access to humanitarian aid,” Mohamad stated, outlining Malaysia’s commitment to resolving the ongoing crisis. He recognized the roadblocks to come, especially when it comes to political discourse between divided camps in light of an overarching “trust deficit.”
Mohamad’s statement is particularly timely. It is just one day before a possible game-changing leaders’ summit now expected to take place within the ASEAN framework. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recently engaged with Min Aung Hlaing, the Senior General of Myanmar’s military government, during a meeting in Bangkok. Anwar pressed Hlaing to uphold the country’s ceasefire. This ceasefire follows an already harrowing situation made worse by a deadly earthquake that hit in late March killing almost 3,800 people and displacing over 100,000.
In the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake, a shocking tragedy occurred. Just this past weekend, a military airstrike reportedly attacked a school surrounding the epicenter in neighboring Sagaing region, killing 22 individuals—20 of whom were children—executed on-site. Mohamad Hasan underscored the urgency of ceasing hostilities, stating, “We call on the stakeholders in Myanmar to cease hostilities, and to extend and expand the ceasefire, to facilitate the long and difficult path towards recovery, and ease the suffering of the people of Myanmar.”
With the continued suffering from the coup, Myanmar’s military government announced plans to hold fake elections this fall. Shortly after, Anwar Ibrahim expressed ASEAN’s concerns about the quality of the electoral process. The organization’s goal is to slowly build a broad consensus to keep it that way—“fair and free.”
