Despite the risk of massive refugee flows or even civil war, ASEAN members are divided over whether to take action or not against Myanmar’s military junta, which took power in a coup on February 1, overthrowing an elected civilian government. Leaders and foreign ministers from the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations took part in a summit held in Indonesian capital Jakarta on Saturday. In his first foreign trip since the coup in Myanmar in early February, the coup leader has taken part in the summit.
Media reports say ASEAN leaders appear divided along geographical lines, with the “mainland” countries — those physically close to China — more opposed to intervention in Myanmar, while the “maritime” countries — those far away from China — are more in favour of taking action. Among the latter group, it is host Indonesia that has been pushing hardest for a collective response to the crisis. But persuading the other nine countries to take a unified stance will be just as much a challenge as persuading the Myanmar junta to de-escalate the crisis. While the bloc prides itself on its ability to persuade rather than coerce, that ability is much weaker if the organisation is not united.
Meanwhile, protesters of the coup who oppose of Myanmar’s junta went on the political offensive on April 16, declaring they have formed an interim national unity government (NUG) with members of Aung San Suu Kyi’s ousted cabinet and major ethnic minority groups. The move came on the eve of a diplomatic move to solve Myanmar’s crisis through the ASEAN summit. Myanmar forces have already killed 726 protesters since the February takeover.
In Myanmar army has become murderers of the people with the weapons the people have bought for them to fight war against foreign aggression. Now people are helpless to their own army. The army has conquered their own people.
The international community has to think seriously of the new situation of army feeling unrestrained to use people’s weapons to kill people to establish its rule over their own people. No sanction will work to restrain their political ambition. When it is so easy for the army to occupy its own people to become their rulers there is need for new thinking by world powers. They sell weapons so only they who can find ways to keep army under check.
There are some militant groups fighting the army in Myanmar. Thus it will be easier for the United States to arm them generously to make lives of the army in Myanmar difficult. There has to be gun against gun fight.
