No progress, no Asean invite

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday confirmed he had invited Myanmar's junta chief to a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), on the condition he makes progress on a peace plan he agreed to last year. 

Hun Sen, the Asean chair, said he would talk to military chief Min Aung Hlaing by video today, noting that since their Jan 7 meeting in Myanmar, ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi had been sentenced to four years' detention and military aircraft had been deployed in operations.

Min Aung Hlaing led a coup in Myanmar last year and Asean made a surprise move in barring him from key meetings over his failure to honour a five-point Asean "consensus" that included ceasing hostilities and allowing dialogue.

"He (Hun Sen) said that he had invited HE (His Excellency) Min Aung Hlaing to attend the Asean summit if there was progress in the implementation of the five points agreed unanimously," said a statement on Hun Sen's Facebook page, summarising a call with Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

"But if not, he must send a non-political representative to Asean meetings."

As new chair of Asean, Cambodia has indicated it wants to engage not isolate the junta, but Hun Sen has been pressed by several Asean leaders, including those of Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, not to give way on the agreement, which is backed by the United Nations and United States.