On 12 and 13 May, nine high-level representatives from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are scheduled to meet U.S. President Joe Biden during a special summit in Washington D.C.
They will discuss trade, regional security, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and ASEAN’s response to the Myanmar crisis.
With this in mind, various organisations involved with Myanmar are calling on Biden and the ASEAN representatives to take action.
“ASEAN and its consensus have failed,” said Matthew Smith, Chief Executive Officer at pressure group Fortify Rights. “The Security Council has a responsibility to act. The flow of arms and money to the junta must be stopped, and the Security Council is the key international body with a mandate to make that happen.”
Fortify Rights believes that President Biden should also encourage ASEAN member states to engage the National Unity Government of Myanmar, as recommended by the Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah. Thailand should also be urged to stop returning refugees to Myanmar and to authorize cross-border humanitarian aid. The U.S. Government and ASEAN should also ensure that humanitarian aid to Myanmar is not directed through the military junta.
“The Myanmar junta is destabilizing the entire region, and ASEAN is at risk of losing all credibility for failing to take decisive action,” said Matthew Smith. “All governments have a responsibility to protect the people of Myanmar from mass atrocities and that includes members of the Security Council.”
Meanwhile, Keith Slack, the Director of Strategy at NGO Earthrights called on Joe Biden and his administration to take further action at the summit.
He said: “Since February of 2021, Myanmar’s military has upended life in the country, destabilized the region, and pushed millions into a humanitarian crisis. The military has murdered more than 1,800 people, while more than 10,000 are currently detained. Meanwhile, ASEAN has made little progress in stopping the junta.
“Since taking control of the Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) in February of last year, the military has seized an estimated USD 1.5 billion in gas revenues. EarthRights echoes the calls of the more than 600 civil society organizations and the over 220,000 people who have called on the U.S.
To sanction Myanmar’s gas revenues. Halting the crisis in Myanmar means cutting the military off from its primary source of funding and preventing it from further misappropriating state funds.
“In February of this year, the EU imposed sanctions on officials in Myanmar and MOGE. The U.S. is now lagging behind the EU. EarthRights calls on the Biden administration to sanction MOGE and grant licenses that allow gas companies to continue operating in Myanmar provided that revenues are paid into an escrow account to only be accessed by a legitimate government. The Biden administration must also ensure that businesses stop treating the military junta as if it were the legitimate government of Myanmar. To be a true democracy leader, the U.S. must take the lead and do all it can to cut off funds to the junta. Doing so will help protect human rights and support justice in Myanmar.”
