ASEAN urged to denounce Myanmar junta’s election

Mizzima

On 14 October, former officials and UN experts urged ASEAN to reject Myanmar’s sham election at its upcoming summit. They called for a reset in strategy, punitive measures against the junta, engagement with democratic forces, and support for accountability for junta crimes.

The statement is as follows.

This statement is issued by Dato’ Sri Saifuddin Abdullah, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia; Khun Kasit Piromya, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand; Leila M. de Lima, former Secretary of the Department of Justice of the Philippines, former senator, and current member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines; and three former UN experts on Myanmar who are founding members of the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M)

Following his 9 October visit to Myanmar, Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hasan set out firm minimum benchmarks for a credible Myanmar election, clarifying that it must be conducted “in accordance with the principles of free, fair, transparent, and credible processes” and “should be held throughout the country with the participation of all political parties and stakeholders”.