Singapore says ASEAN is not as effective as expected in Myanmar

SINGAPORE, Aug 20 (Reuters) – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) advances in Myanmar have not been as effective as expected, Singapore’s foreign minister said in an interview .

The United Nations and many countries have urged ASEAN, including ten members in Myanmar, to restore stability through diplomacy.

“(ASEAN is not) as effective or as fast as we would have expected. But this is a difficult situation,” Vivian Balakrishnan told Reuters.

In April, ASEAN announced a five-point consensus aimed at resolving the crisis. As part of these efforts, the bloc appointed Brunei’s second foreign minister as special envoy to Myanmar in early August. Read more

Balakrishnan said he hopes there will be progress in reporting on the envoy’s visit ahead of the ASEAN leaders’ summit in November. But he warned that the military had to grant the envoy access to all interested parties for the visit to be meaningful.

“The key test of the fire now will be how they interact with our special envoy,” Balakrishnan said.

The death toll as a result of the February 1 coup in Myanmar exceeded 1,000 this week, according to the activist group of the Association of Political Prisoners Assistance (AAPP), which has been recording killings by security forces. Read more

Myanmar’s economy has collapsed and the humanitarian crisis has worsened last month as coronavirus infections increased, which overwhelmed the health care system.

Balakrishnan called the situation “serious” and said ASEAN was trying to be constructive, facilitate dialogue and offer humanitarian aid.

“We have maintained lines of communication,” Balakrishnan said, when asked if ASEAN or Singapore had committed themselves to the shadow of the National Unity Government. “We’re not trying to make things difficult. And we’re not playing sides. But (the military authorities) know we’re going to involve everyone.”

Singapore is small, but has a strong economic and political influence in Southeast Asia. Some rights groups say Singapore has leverage in Myanmar thanks to its close ties to the country as one of its largest investors.

According to official Myanmar data from 1988, the city-state had a cumulative investment of $ 24.1 billion in investments there by 2020, making it the largest source of foreign capital, ahead of China.

However, Balakrishnan said that “Singapore’s so-called leverage was overrated,” because the total also included multinationals that have invested in Myanmar.

He said economic sanctions would affect ordinary people, but would have a limited effect on military authorities, who can better withstand isolation.

There has been no discussion in ASEAN about Myanmar’s expulsion or suspension, the minister said, adding that the bloc wanted to be constructive but did not want to interfere in domestic politics.

He was speaking to Reuters two days before Vice President Kamala Harris ’trip to Vietnam and Singapore. The trip will show that the Biden administration is committed to a “free and open Indo-Pacific” and that the United States is in the region “to stay,” according to a senior administration official. Read more

“We look forward to advancing cooperation, pandemic recovery, the digital economy, the green economy and cybersecurity,” Balakrishnan said. “Not only does it feel like good diplomacy, there’s substantial work to be done.”

Report by Aradhana Aravindan in Singapore. Edited by Gerry Doyle

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