TEMPO.CO, Labuan Bajo - Leaders of Southeast Asian countries have gathered at Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) on Thursday on the second day of the 42nd ASEAN Summit. One of the main talking points of the day is deliberating solutions to the crisis in Myanmar.

Myanmar has been wrapped in turmoil since the military coup in 2021, which also drove a number of state officials to flee the country and form the National Unity Government (NUG) in exile.

The military Junta has also failed to implement the peace deal offered by ASEAN under the ‘five-point consensus’ which includes constructive dialogue, ceasing violence, mediation, provision of humanitarian aid, and sending a special envoy to Myanmar.

“The implementation of the five-point consensus has yet to see significant progress which forces ASEAN to formulate future steps,” said President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in opening the forum as ASEAN chairmanship. “Indonesia continues to seek steps forward in the implementation of the consensus.”

Myanmar leaders are absent from the 42nd ASEAN Summit as a direct result of the ongoing conflict in the country.

Just days before the summit began, gunfire broke out as a group of ASEAN humanitarian aid agencies (AHA-Center) passed through Hseng township in northern Myanmar's Shan State on May 7.

Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim, in an exclusive interview with Tempo on May 9, reasoned that ASEAN’s non-intervention principle can be seen as a barrier to solving the crisis in conflict-stricken Myanmar. The Southeast Asian bloc needs to adjust its approach as the impact of the conflict affects countries in the region.

The implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific will also be discussed in the summit, which is a regional bloc outlook created to address global challenges. The ASEAN Summit has already declared a number of documents such as the fight against human trafficking, the regional electric vehicle ecosystem, and the use of local currencies (LCS).

DANIEL A. FAJRI (LABUAN BAJO)

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