LABUAN BAJO (Indonesia): Southeast Asian nations said on Wednesday they are “deeply concerned” about the violence ravaging Myanmar, and condemned a recent attack on a convoy of diplomats delivering humanitarian aid in the country.

Turmoil in junta-ruled Myanmar has dominated talks at this week’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Indonesia, as the regional bloc faces criticism for its perceived inaction.

Asean has led diplomatic attempts to resolve the festering crisis, but its efforts so far have failed to stem the bloodshed unleashed by a military coup in 2021.

“We were deeply concerned with ongoing violence in Myanmar and urged the immediate cessation of all forms of violence and the use of force to create a conducive environment for the safe and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogues,” Asean leaders said in a statement.

Jakarta raises hope the bloc could push for peaceful solution this year

The junta has ignored international criticism and refused to engage with its opponents, which include ousted lawmakers, anti-coup “People’s Defence Forces” and armed ethnic minority groups.

“We condemned the attack and underlined that the perpetrators must be held accountable,” Asean leaders said in their statement.

Addressing the summit on Wednesday, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said he was “confident” the 10-member bloc could deal with growing global challenges if its members were united.

“With unity, Asean will be able to play a central role in bringing peace and growth,” Widodo said through a translator as he opened the leaders’ session of the summit.

Foreign ministers and national leaders meeting on the Indonesian island of Flores are trying to kick-start a five-point plan agreed upon with Myanmar two years ago after mediation attempts to end the violence failed.

Myanmar remains an Asean member but has been barred from top-level summits due to the junta’s failure to implement the peace plan.

Jakarta’s chairmanship of the bloc this year had raised hopes Asean could push for a peaceful solution, using its economic weight as well as its diplomatic experience.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on Friday that her country was using “quiet diplomacy” to speak with all sides of the Myanmar conflict and spur renewed peace efforts.

But a senior Indonesian minister said on Tuesday that Asean was at a “crossroad” and risked becoming irrelevant if it failed to deal with Myanmar and other regional emergencies.

Indonesia was running out of time to achieve a breakthrough, said Lina Alexandra, an analyst at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta.

After the next leaders’ summit in September, Alexandra added, Indonesia will hand the bloc’s influential chairmanship to communist-ruled Laos, which could bring Myanmar back “into the fold” and allow the junta to attend Asean summits.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2023