ASEAN special envoy and EAO leaders meet in Pattaya; NUG FM Zin Mar Aung clarifies meeting involved individual invitations only

Maung Khet Nway for Mizzima

The Philippine Foreign Minister, acting as ASEAN Special Envoy, and the Thai Foreign Minister met with several Myanmar Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) for the first time on 13 July in Pattaya, Thailand.

Zin Mar Aung, Secretariat Member of the Steering Committee for the Establishment of a Federal Democratic Union (SCEF) and Foreign Minister of the National Unity Government (NUG), confirmed to Mizzima that the meeting did not host the SCEF as a collective body, but instead involved separate invitations extended to individual EAO leaders.

“I want to clarify that this meeting did not invite the SCEF, but was instead conducted through separate, individual invitations. Regarding the invitation, it remains unclear whether it was extended by the host Thai government or by the Philippine Foreign Minister in her capacity as the ASEAN Special Envoy. Furthermore, the discussion topics and agendas are unclear,” said Minister Zin Mar Aung.

The closed-door meeting was attended by leaders of EAOs including the Karen National Union (KNU), Chin National Front (CNF), and Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), with discussions joined by Philippine Foreign Minister Theresa Lazaro and Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak.

Zin Mar Aung added that regardless of how the meeting was convened, SCEF members had coordinated beforehand to maintain a unified common stance.

Philippine Foreign Minister Lazaro told the Bilyonaryo News Channel that this meeting was highly significant, marking the first direct engagement between an ASEAN Special Envoy and high-level EAO leaders.

She added, “This was a constructive meeting as the Thai Foreign Minister and I were able to engage in open and candid discussions with these EAOs.”

Prior to this, on 11 July, the ASEAN Special Envoy and the Thai Foreign Minister also held an informal meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, with ASEAN Foreign Ministers, including the military junta’s foreign minister.

These consecutive meetings with both the junta and EAOs occur as ASEAN faces mounting international pressure over its inability to halt the violence perpetrated by the military junta in Myanmar effectively.