Asean Summit ends with rebukes

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Last exam, done! Time to write 500 words about Asean and then head to the pub!

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See you later in the week,Erin Cook

As the Straits Times’ Indochina corro, Tan Hui Yee, put it: “What seemed inconceivable just months ago came to pass.” The Burmese military junta was denied a seat at the Asean summit held virtually last week and in turn, boycotted (how successful a negotiation to find a mutually agreed-upon representative is questionable). 

I’m impressed. I know some people say we shouldn’t be, that Asean doing the bare minimum by not allowing a coup representative a seat at the table shouldn’t be celebrated. But it is inconceivable in the history of the regional bloc. I don’t think it will set a precedent (Thailand, your seat is safe) but in this very particular example it does draw a line — Tatmadaw, what you have done is unacceptable and there are few ways Asean can do anything material about it. But this is one. 

"Asean's decision to proceed with the summit meetings without the presence of a Myanmar representative sends a strong message to the State Administration Council (SAC) that the Myanmar quagmire cannot be allowed to derail Asean's regional agenda and external relations indefinitely, and that the Myanmar issue is not the single defining issue of Asean," ISEAS fellow Hoang Thi Ha told Tan Hui Yee in that same piece. 

And how much does the Tatmadaw care? 

Following the April quasi-summit in Jakarta, General Min Aung Hlaing returned to Myanmar in a flurry of excitement. At the time, Aaron Connelly noted the media coverage which reported his return (in a tweet now impossible to find: searching ‘Myanmar’ ‘Asean’ and his @ is a folly) was indicative of the importance placed on the bloc by the junta, even as the resistance movement within the country was pushing back against it, as a sign of legitimacy. 

Thankfully, with a real, easily found link, Connelly has revisited this take. He notes that the snubbing means the General will be unable, unlike in April, to show the country the regional and international community has accepted his leadership. Click through for a look at Asean and the consensus model in full. 

Myanmar may be sitting a bit of a time out, but the country is certainly still welcome to the family table, out-going chair Brunei stressed. “Myanmar is an integral part of the Asean family and their membership has not been questioned. Asean will always be there for Myanmar and we have continued to offer help through the implementation of the five-point consensus,” Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah told reporters. 

So, now what? As Connelly and other commentators have pointed out, this was a large hurdle but the follow up may be even larger. The coup and its discontent won’t be solved anytime soon. Asean is in a tight spot now: if the Five Point Consensus won’t be adhered to in the coming months by the SAC, then what? 

Brunei passed the chair down the alphabet to Cambodia. Cambodia’s leadership isn’t one I’ve been particularly excited for, the Code of Conduct bizzo is enough to get on everyone’s nerves, and Prime Minister Hun Sen is hardly the type of fella to go out on a limb and condemn a regime (it is, after all, his third shot at the helm — an opportunity afforded to member states once a decade). 

Frontier Myanmar, in the fantastic newsletters which are a must in any inbox, noted Cambodia’s response at the Summit, which were far more in favour of Asean than expected particularly given Hun Sen’s foreign interference bugbear. 

"Today, Asean did not expel Myanmar from Asean’s framework. Myanmar abandoned its right. Now we are in the situation of Asean minus one. It is not because of Asean, but because of Myanmar," Hun Sen noted, as reported initially by Reuters. 

The pressure is on now, writes Benar News. If Cambodia is going to kick off 2022 like that, it must maintain the rage. 

“Cambodia should set up an ad hoc task force to work with Myanmar’s conflicting parties quietly or through back-door diplomacy to share lessons and experiences of peacebuilding and win-win policy implementation for Myanmar. Helping to resolve the political crisis in Myanmar is not an interference in the internal affairs of the country, but an expression of ASEAN solidarity and mutual assistance based on mutual respect for sovereignty,” Benar quoted from government-linked Agence Kampuchea Presse commentary.

This is a very interesting report with a lot of background on Cambodia its neighbours joining Asean. I haven’t read too much yet on what to ‘expect’ from a Cambodia-led Asean, but this has filled in a lot of gaps for me.

🇮🇩 Clear skies for Indonesia

After the pandemic put a halt on major events, the pawang hujan (rain-diviners) of Indonesia were unusually out of business. The show’s back on and it’s time to clear the rain. It’s hard not to deliver a fascinating pawang hujan story and this from Reuters is excellent. 

🇸🇬 Death penalty cruelty

In Singapore, death sentences have returned following a pandemic hold. Malaysian national Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, who was found guilty of drug trafficking a decade ago, will be hanged later this month. Kirsten Han, who, in addition to being a phenomenal writer, has been an anti-death penalty activist for years. Her account of what Nagaenthran’s family has to go through to see their brother, son, loved one again before his death is staggering in its cruelty. A very successful crowdfunding mission to support the family through the process shows that there are plenty in Singapore aghast at the policy — hopefully, a sign of change to come.  

👩‍💻Facebook is — get this — bad

In this part of the world, we’ve talked a lot about Facebook facilitating genocide in Myanmar, the troll farms of the Philippines and Indonesia changing the course of politics, teaming up with the draconian government in Vietnam and, in a less serious example, allowing the Singaporean elite to air a lot of dirty laundry for some reason. Still, the latest load of papers is stunning. Yucko.