Jakarta, Indonesianpost.com – U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar Tom Andrews said Wednesday that Indonesia as the current chair of ASEAN can play a crucial role in ending the deteriorating human rights crisis in Myanmar.
“I came to Indonesia because the human rights situation in Myanmar is deeply concerning and worsening. I believe that Indonesia is in a position to play a significant role in efforts to resolve this crisis,” Andrews said at the U.N. Office in Jakarta.
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Andrews said more than 3,000 civilians have been killed by the Myanmar military and 19,000 others are being held as political prisoners.
Moreover, the crisis has displaced 1.5 people in Myanmar with hundreds of thousands seeking refuge across international borders.
Myanmar has been facing a humanitarian crisis since the military junta overthrew the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The junta announced that the state of emergency, which was supposed to end in January 2023, would be extended for another six months.
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During the ASEAN Summit in 2023, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo revealed that ASEAN member states agreed to continue their efforts to find a solution to the conflict in Myanmar. Jokowi mentioned that although ASEAN does not always publicize these efforts, various measures have been taken to encourage the implementation of the so-called five-point consensus.
“We will continue to promote dialogue, not only with the junta because there are many parties involved, many interests. We will increase dialogue with stakeholders in Myanmar and facilitate the AHA Centre in carrying out its tasks,” Jokowi said during a press conference last month, referring to the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance.
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He also said that as long as Myanmar remains unresponsive to calls for an end to violence, ASEAN will not invite representatives of the country to participate in political-level meetings.