ASEAN Leaders Meet in Manila Amid Myanmar Junta Dispute
ASEAN leaders gather in Manila to review Myanmar's exclusion from summits as Thailand and Malaysia push for the military junta's reintegration.
Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will meet in Manila from November 15 to 17 to review the exclusion of Myanmar's military-backed leadership from high-level summits. Myanmar has been barred since a 2021 coup led by Min Aung Hlaing due to the junta's failure to implement the Five-Point Consensus peace plan.
Internal tensions have risen as Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia increase bilateral engagement with the junta. Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow is openly advocating for Myanmar's Foreign Minister to rejoin ASEAN meetings, stating that discussions with Min Aung Hlaing indicated a desire from Myanmar to re-engage. Similarly, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim pledged in October to work toward Myanmar's reintegration, defending the engagement as a diplomatic necessity to address violence and the refugee crisis.
In contrast, the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) urged the Philippines, as the current ASEAN chair, to publicly confirm that Min Aung Hlaing and other senior military representatives will not be invited to the upcoming summit. Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Leo M. Herrera-Lim informed APHR that no official invitation had been extended and no Myanmar head of government or minister would attend. APHR warned that welcoming the junta grants the regime regional legitimacy and undermines the bloc's credibility.
