May 11, 2022
Joint
Statement
ASEAN:
Decision on humanitarian assistance on Myanmar must include all related parties
to avoid aid weaponization by the junta
We, the 765 undersigned Myanmar, regional and international
organizations, are gravely concerned by the outcome of the Consultative Meeting
on ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance to Myanmar that puts the military junta in
control of humanitarian aid distribution in Myanmar. Our organizations believe
that this decision will enable the military junta to weaponize humanitarian aid to gain
legitimacy and commit more human rights atrocities against the people of the
country.
We urge ASEAN to redirect course in the informal meeting of
ASEAN Foreign Ministers that is being held ahead of the ASEAN – US Special
Summit and meet with the National Unity Government (NUG), Ethnic Armed
Organisations (EAOs), and local civil society organisations to develop
cross-border humanitarian assistance delivered by trusted local humanitarian
and community based organisation.
We are dismayed that the meeting initiated and held by Cambodia
as ASEAN Chair 2022 on 6 May 2022 only engaged with the Myanmar junta’s Task
Force led by the State Administration Council (SAC). The meeting excluded the presence of the National
Unity Government, formed by elected representatives of the 2020
elections, as well as civil society and EAOs. Under the pressure of the
Myanmar junta, the regional bloc also disinvited the United Nations Special
Envoy to Myanmar, H.E. Noeleen Heyzer, to the meeting, despite a false claim made by the Cambodian
government indicating her presence was among the stakeholders that attended.
We are concerned that ASEAN, under the Cambodia Chairship, while
opening its door to the military junta, has been continuously reluctant to
engage with the NUG and other related parties, in direct contradiction to the
Five-Point Consensus (5PC) agreed by the ASEAN which calls for inclusive
dialogue. We previously condemned the visit made by Prime
Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia and the current ASEAN Envoy to Myanmar, undertaken without agreement from other ASEAN
leaders, to meet with the junta leader but not with the NUG and detained
President U Win Myint and State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the civil
disobedience movement, and ethnic armed groups. Five months after Cambodia’s
‘rogue diplomacy’, ASEAN continues to be exclusionary.
We are alarmed by the regional bloc’s decision to allow the
military junta-led Task Force to make decisions on how aid is delivered to
Myanmar through the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on
disaster management (AHA Centre). Given junta’s ongoing attacks against aid
workers and civilians, we are appalled that ASEAN continues to regard the
military junta-led Task Force capable of delivering aid to all communities in
Myanmar, including EAO areas. Junta’s promises are politically motivated
promises that should not be trusted given the non-compliance record of the
junta to the ASEAN 5PC after over a year since the agreement was made.
The decision of ASEAN to forge ahead with its plan to deliver
humanitarian assistance with Myanmar military junta-led Task Force ignores the calls made by the people of
Myanmar and civil society organisations worldwide that urge the international
community to prioritise the provision of cross-border humanitarian aid through
local civil society and humanitarian organisations without the junta’s
intervention. We reiterate our position that no meaningful solution will be
generated by ASEAN if the regional bloc keeps excluding all related parties,
including namely the NUG, UN Special Envoy on Myanmar, and civil society. The
decision will only bring regress and risks ASEAN aiding and abetting the
military’s atrocities on the ground.
We noted that ASEAN Foreign Ministers will hold an informal
meeting on 11 May 2022, prior to the ASEAN – US Special Summit in Washington
DC, to discuss the implementation of ASEAN 5PC. We urge the ASEAN and its
leaders to:
·
Immediately review and
reconsider the decision made in the Consultative Meeting on ASEAN Humanitarian
Assistance to Myanmar
·
Immediately and
effectively suspend the military junta and its representatives from any
strategic meeting of ASEAN for its non-compliance to the 5PC, particularly
pertaining to provision of humanitarian aid
·
Conduct dialogue with
the NUG and EAOs, and local civil society organisations to develop cross-border
humanitarian assistance delivered by trusted local humanitarian and community
based organisation
·
Conduct dialogue with
the UN Special Envoy to synergise efforts to address human rights and
humanitarian crisis in Myanmar
·
Review and amend the
role and appointment mechanism of the ASEAN Special Envoy so that the mandate
can assure its representation for ASEAN and effective coordination with all
stakeholders in support of the will of the people of Myanmar.
Lastly, we specifically call on the ASEAN founding members,
particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore to move beyond the
5PC as it has failed to bring progress. The leaders must prove their commitment
to uphold the will of the people of Myanmar to achieve peace and democracy, and
to hold the military junta accountable for grave human rights violations.
For more information, please contact: Khin Ohmar, Progressive
Voice, info@progressive-voice.org
List of Signatories
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