Collective Myanmar peace efforts

• The 44th ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos, highlighted the worsening crisis in Myanmar, a region with a military coup in 2021.
• The civil war is a brutal civil war between the military junta and resistance groups, including Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs) and the People’s Defence Forces (PDFs).
• The military’s efforts to suppress the rebellion have led to violence, displacement, and a humanitarian crisis.
• ASEAN broke its non-interference policy in response to the coup, but its attempts to implement the 2021 Five-Point Consensus remain largely unheeded.
• Myanmar sent Aung Kyaw Moe, a senior official from Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry, to Laos after three years of boycotting the summit.
• ASEAN members like Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines are pushing for stronger action, while Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos maintain closer relations with the military government.
• Thailand’s proposal to host informal talks with the Troika involving Indonesia, Laos, and Malaysia illustrates an attempt to break the diplomatic impasse.
• India’s approach to Myanmar is tied to its Act East Policy, balancing security concerns with democratic processes through diplomacy.
• India is involved in regional connectivity projects like the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project and the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway.
• Concerns over regional stability and refugee influxes have led India to discontinue the Free Movement Regime and fence the border.
• New Delhi is considering broader engagement with various stakeholders in Myanmar to safeguard its strategic interests and contribute to peace and stability.