ASEAN five-point consensus

The bloc’s response to the bombing in Kanbalu has laid bare its impotence and poor understanding of the country’s conflict.

Assuming he is able to form government, Pita Limjaroenrat has promised significant changes to the Thai government's approach toward its conflict-torn neighbor.

Three parallel regional processes are trying to deal with the Myanmar crisis. They risk undermining each other. 

The statement issued at the close of last week's summit was less forthright than those produced under the aegis of last year's chair, Cambodia.

Southeast Asian leaders said they were "deeply concerned with ongoing violence in Myanmar and urged the immediate cessation of all forms of violence."

The National Unity Government is bereft of any meaningful external support while the junta has been well assisted by its fellow authoritarians since the 2021 coup.

The call came as the death toll from last week's airstrike on Kanbalu township rose to 168.

It remains to be seen whether Indonesia, the bloc's current chair, can lead a tougher and more effective regional response to the country's conflict.

"We believe in ASEAN centrality when it comes to addressing the crisis in Myanmar, which is the most acute security crisis that Southeast Asia is facing right now."

Having failed to push forward a resolution to Myanmar's conflict, the Southeast Asian bloc needs a face-saving way of admitting defeat.

The Malaysian leader claimed that 200,000 Myanmar nationals have now sought refuge in his country.