ASEAN will want inclusive Myanmar election, Thailand says

By Panu Wongcha-um

Thailand has told Myanmar's junta that ASEAN members would want all stakeholders included in an election the military government plans to hold next year, even as the regional bloc seeks a common position on the polls, Thai officials said on Friday.

"If there is an election, ASEAN would want an inclusive process that included all stakeholders," Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said in a group interview in Bangkok, after meetings with counterparts and senior diplomats of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) grouping.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since early 2021 when its military overthrew an elected civilian government, triggering pro-democracy protests that morphed into a widening armed rebellion that has taken over swathes of the country.

The military is fighting rebels on multiple fronts, struggling to govern and manage a crumbling economy that was seen as a promising frontier market before the generals ended a decade of tentative democracy.

Thailand this week hosted two separate regional meetings on the crisis in Myanmar, the first involving the junta and its neighbours, including China, Bangladesh and India, followed by one with ASEAN members.

Myanmar's foreign minister on Thursday briefed attendees on the outline of the junta's political roadmap and progress towards holding an election, which critics have dismissed as a sham, largely due to the absence and sidelining of opposition groups.

"The neighbouring countries said we support Myanmar in finding solutions but the election must be inclusive for various stakeholders in the country," Maris said, stressing that Myanmar's neighbours would advise, but not interfere.

Their effort, he said, would also support ASEAN's Myanmar peace plan, the "Five Point Consensus", its strategy to diffuse the conflict that has made scant progress.

The proposed Myanmar elections were also part of discussions among ASEAN members at Friday's meeting, which the junta was not part of, said Thai foreign ministry official Bolbongse Vangphaen.

The bloc is still awaiting details of the polls from the Myanmar side, he said, adding that ASEAN would also need to find a common position on the proposed ballot, which has the backing of regional heavyweights such as China.

China's vice foreign minister said during Thursday's meeting in Bangkok that all parties should support Myanmar in advancing its peace and reconciliation process, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday.

Sun Weidong said all parties in Myanmar should resolve differences through dialogue and consultation.