Myanmar coup: Indonesia FM says junta is responsible for crisis

Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi said the Myanmar junta is responsible for the crisis in the country. This comes as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations grouping has expressed frustration over the lack of progress in the peace plan.

In an interview with Reuters Thursday, Marsudi, whose country is set to chair the ASEAN bloc next year, said the ruling generals in Myanmar are to blame for the lack of progress in the enforcement of the peace plan rather than the grouping. This comes as the bloc has long urged the junta to comply with the peace plan it agreed to shortly after the generals seized power in a coup and overthrew the elected government in February 2021.

“The criticisms shouldn’t be aimed at ASEAN. They should be aimed at the junta,” said Marsudi. “If we’re talking about who’s to blame, who’s failed, it’s not us, it’s not ASEAN. We did our part.”

Retno added that her counterparts in the bloc are coming up with new recommendations for the implementation of the peace plan in the upcoming summit next week. The junta has previously blamed the lack of progress in the peace plan on the pandemic and instability in the country.

“We facilitate the national dialogue that will take Myanmar out of the political crisis. And we know who can solve Myanmar’s problem is the people of Myanmar, not outsiders,” said Marsudi.

While the ASEAN bloc has a long-running policy of non-interference in the sovereign affairs of its members, the grouping is facing growing calls from activists to ramp up the pressure on the junta. A group of international lawmakers have also said the peace plan by the bloc has “failed” and that countries, such as China, Russia, and India, have been enabling the junta.

The group of eight lawmakers, in a report published Wednesday, said the international community must abandon the ASEAN peace plan and take stronger action to support the country’s democratic opposition. The lawmakers were assisted by the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights in their report following a four-month probe into the international response to the coup.

The lawmakers added that as part of the strong measures, the international community must recognize the shadow government, the National Unity Government, made up of the junta’s opponents, including ousted politicians.