AS the Myanmar crisis approaches its fourth year, everyone is asking if Malaysia, a founding member of the group that has taken over the chairmanship, can really do anything to end the violence that has claimed 5,350 lives and displaced 3.3 million people.

It’s not just the scale of the destruction that has caused some to label the latest Myanmar civil war as “Asean’s Gaza”. It has created a refugee crisis for Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and even Bangladesh.

The breakdown of law and order in its border areas has allowed criminal gangs to set up scam farms that have ensnared thousands, including Malaysians, where they are forced to scam their fellow citizens.

When the Myanmar military dethroned the democratically elected civilian government in April 2021, Asean cobbled together the “Five-Point Consensus” (5PC).

This called for the immediate end of violence, dialogue among all parties, the appointment of a special Asean envoy, allowing the envoy to meet with all parties, and allowing humanitarian assistance by Asean.

But even the Asean Foreign Ministers’ (AMM) Retreat last weekend admitted that there has been no progress on the 5PC.

“We expressed our deep concern over the escalation of conflict and the humanitarian situation in Myanmar and the minimal progress on the implementation of the 5PC,” said a joint statement from the AMM Retreat.

The statement went on to say that Asean “reaffirms its commitment to addressing the crisis,” but does little to outline what concrete steps the regional bloc would take to make sure the crisis can end before Malaysia passes on the chairmanship baton.

No mention is made, for instance, that one of the obstacles to peace is the fact that some Asean members themselves are arming the same military that started the conflict.

In May 2023, the United Nations special rapporteur found that Myanmar’s military junta had imported at least US$1bil worth of arms since the coup, largely from Russia, China, Singapore, Thailand and India.

Thai authorities have said they found no evidence to back the UN’s claims that some of its banks had funded Myanmar’s military supplies in 2023, while the Indonesian state arms manufacturer also issued a similar denial.

So far, to pressure Myanmar into implementing the 5PC, Asean has barred the junta from sending political representatives to Asean summits since 2021.

But that has done little to stop the violence. On Jan 20, a rebel group claimed that a junta airstrike killed 28 people and wounded 25 at a temporary detention area in western Rakhine state. Nine children were among those dead, including a two-year-old boy.

The UN special rapporteur on Myanmar, Thomas Andrews, said halting arms sales to the junta is one way Asean can make a significant difference.

For instance, the report on arms sales found that 138 Singapore-based firms were involved in the transfer of US$254mil (RM1.1bil at current rates) in weapons to the ruling generals of Myanmar.

Following the report, Andrews said in April last year that the exports of weapon materials from Singapore to Myanmar dropped by 83%.

“This is a significant step forward and an example of how governments can make a difference for those who are in harm’s way in Myanmar,” he was quoted as saying in a report.

Civil society organisations monitoring the crisis say that to go further, Asean must change its consensus-based approach and principle of non-interference.

“Asean needs stronger measures to deter further atrocities and hold the military accountable, not a flimsy consensus that’s proven its futility,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director for Human Rights Watch.

Former foreign minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah has echoed these points, saying that under certain circumstances, Asean needs to put aside its policy of non-interference.

“The issue in Myanmar is local and national. It has an impact on the region, and we should also recognise the concerns of the other nine member states,” Saifuddin said in October 2021.

“We cannot use the principle of non-interference as a shield to avoid issues.”

Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,” and this appears to be applicable in the case of Myanmar and Asean.

It is commendable that Malaysia has consistently spoken out about the Myanmar crisis, making it a central point to condemn the military junta in each major Asean meeting.

Asean must not let the Myanmar issue die, and it must be constantly raised.

But many others before Malaysia have tried. Malaysia will need to move mountains and get others to help it.

We can always try and hope, but reality tends to bite.

Asia News Network/The Star