Indonesia, the largest and most populous nation in Southeast Asia, along with Malaysia, were among the five original members of ASEAN when it was born in 1967. The bloc has long operated on the principle of consensus in collective actions and policies.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian and Malaysian officials made their comments a day after Cambodia canceled an in-person ASEAN foreign ministers\u2019 meeting in Siem Reap set for Jan. 18-19, citing travel difficulties for regional diplomats. But, according to analysts, the shelving happened likely because several of the bloc\u2019s-member states had decided not to attend the meeting in protest of Hun Sen\u2019s unilateralism on Myanmar.<\/p>\n
Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore\u00a0have previously backed shutting out the military regime\u2019s representatives from these gatherings for their failure to implement ASEAN\u2019s consensus reached last April, two months after the Feb. 1 coup that toppled an elected Burmese government.<\/p>\n
When asked which countries this time around had reservations about Hun Sen\u2019s trip, Saifuddin declined to name names, but said there were some which said the Cambodian PM had the right to visit Myanmar.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are people who think that he should not have taken the visit because his visit has been construed as some recognition to the military junta of Myanmar,\u201d Saifuddin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there are also others who feel that, well, as the head of government of Cambodia, he has the liberty to visit Myanmar for what is seen as normal bilateral visit. President Jokowi called him before his visit and I am sure you have read the discussion between Hun Sen and Jokowi.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saifuddin was referring to comments made on Twitter by Indonesian President Joko \u201cJokowi\u201d Widodo after a phone conversation with Hun Sen.<\/p>\n
\u201cShould there be no significant progress on the implementation of 5PCs [five-point consensus], Myanmar should only be represented by non-political level at ASEAN meetings,\u201d Jokowi had said.<\/p>\n
And when asked whether Hun Sen\u2019s trip to Myanmar had achieved anything, Saifuddin replied \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regarding Cambodia\u2019s postponement of the ASEAN foreign ministers\u2019 meeting, Saifuddin said the Omicron situation and other diplomats\u2019 prior commitments meant that not everyone could attend.<\/p>\n
As for Indonesia\u2019s Abdul Kadir, he said that Indonesia understood that the postponement was due to travel restrictions following the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut at the same time, we must also admit that within ASEAN there are still many things that we need to iron out in order to come to a common stand on the issue of Myanmar\u2019s representation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that there has been no significant progress ... so Indonesia is consistent with the previous decision taken by ASEAN that Myanmar should only be represented by non-political representatives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cambodia did not announce when the foreign ministers meeting would take place, and Indonesia\u2019s Abdul Kadir also said he did not know either.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we know is that the physical meeting will be postponed. As for a new date or whether it will be held virtually, we are still communicating,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
![\"ID-KH-BU-pic.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/www.benarnews.org\/english\/news\/malaysian\/malaysia-indonesia-express-reservations-about-hun-sen-myanmar-visit-01132022165351.html\/id-kh-bu-pic.jpg\/@@images\/41b53b79-6c42-4240-bb3e-42f72f65e026.jpeg\" "\\"ID-KH-BU-pic.jpg\\"\/")
<\/p>\n
United Nations Special Envoy on Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer (right, on television screen) speaks to\u00a0 Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia (left, on TV screen) at a virtual meeting, in Phnom Penh, Jan. 13, 2022. [Photo courtesy of Samdech Hun Sen, Cambodian Prime Minister via Facebook]<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Can\u2019t be at a stalemate\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Muhammad Arif, an international relations professor at the University of Indonesia, said any upcoming ASEAN meeting would be key to determining progress on Myanmar.<\/p>\n \u201cIf in the next ASEAN meeting, Myanmar is represented in full official capacity and with full diplomatic credentials, it will clearly be a setback for Indonesia, which rejects the military junta in Myanmar,\u201d he told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.<\/p>\n Divisions within ASEAN will also only embolden the military rulers in Myanmar, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe [Hun Sen] should speak in his capacity as chairman of ASEAN and his recommendations should be in line with the five-point consensus. The emphasis should be on seeking constructive dialogue involving all parties,\u201d Arif said.<\/p>\n For his part, Cambodia\u2019s PM Hun Sen took to Facebook on Thursday to defend his meeting with Burmese junta chief Min Aung Hlaing.<\/p>\n He said the meeting between him and the Burmese military leader was in line with the ASEAN constitution and the bloc\u2019s five-point consensus.<\/p>\n \u201cCambodia\u2019s plan over the recent visit to Burma as the ASEAN chair is to seek solutions to end the violence, and [ensure a] ceasefire, which are in line with the five- point consensus. In addition, [the meeting aims] to provide humanitarian aid needed by Myanmar during this transition period,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t be at a stalemate and we need to seek solutions to resolve this deadlock in order to find an opportunity for negotiation.\u201d<\/p>\n One regional analyst, Derek Grossman, said via Twitter on Thursday that he believes the divisions in ASEAN are stark.<\/p>\n \u201cHun Sen\u2019s recent Myanmar visit exposes deep ASEAN fissures. Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore are against legitimizing the junta. But Cambodia along with Laos, Vietnam and Thailand all likely think there\u2019s no other option,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cASEAN is in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, with additional reporting by RFA's Khmer Service.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \n \n
\r\nThis content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia<\/a> and was authored by Radio Free Asia.
<\/p>\n