Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing to front ASEAN summit

Local media in Thailand and Indonesia report that the 10-nation bloc had finally agreed on an April 24 crisis meeting.

Min Aung Hlaing leads Armed Forces Day in the capital Naypyidaw. Picture: AFP

Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing is expected to brief an emergency ASEAN leaders meeting in Jakarta as early as next weekend on the coup crisis he orchestrated on February 1, and which now threatens the stability of the entire region.

The crisis meeting comes as South Korea steelmaker Posco became the latest investor in Myanmar to announce it would end its joint venture with the junta-controlled Myanma Economic Holdings after intense lobbying by rights groups.

Local media in Thailand and Indonesia reported on Friday that the 10-nation bloc had finally agreed on an April 24 crisis meeting after five weeks of discussions, though Indonesian officials told The Weekend Australian the date had still to be confirmed by ASEAN chair Brunei.

At least 726 civilians have been killed by security forces seeking to crush mass opposition to the junta, which has detained 3151 people, among them ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Australian economist Sean Turnell. At least 20 people have been sentenced to death.

ASEAN is under intense pressure to intervene in the crisis that many fear could lead to a broader civil war throughout the country and a mass refugee ­exodus into neighbouring states.

But as with the UN Security Council — where China and Russia provide cover for the junta — the bloc is divided ­between democracies (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and The Philippines) pushing for action and autocratic regimes (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos), which argue the principle of non-interference.

Hundreds of Southeast Asian civil society groups jointly called on ASEAN this week to dispatch a special envoy to Myanmar and appoint a delegation to work with the Security Council to resolve the crisis on their doorstep.

The EU on Friday joined the US and Britain in blacklisting the military owned MEHL and Myanmar Economic Corp, and imposed sanctions on a further 10 people connected to the coup. Australia is yet to follow that example, or to impose sanctions on Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

MP Dave Sharma, chairman of the Australian parliamentary inquiry into Myanmar, wrote in the Nikkei Asian Review on Friday that states “cannot afford to ignore” the crisis and should provide “moral and other support to the CRPH” — the civilian shadow government of ousted MPs trying to establish a federal army to challenge the military.

Yet his own government continues to stall on meaningful ­action, with the pat response that it is “considering” its next move.

Posco announced on Friday it was ending its joint venture with MEHL, though gave no details or timing for the move, and said it would not be pulling out of Myanmar. “We hope that our steel business will continue to contribute to improving Myanmar’s residential environment and revitalising the economy,” POSCO said.

The announcement was cautiously welcomed by rights groups that also called for Posco to sever remaining business ties with the junta, including through its gas production and pipeline business that pays millions of dollars in annual royalties to the Myanmar state.

Justice for Myanmar said Posco remained “one of the most significant business partners of the criminal Myanmar military”, through its gas business and also its Lotte hotels subsidiary that paid rent to the military quartermaster general responsible for weapons purchases. “While we note their decision to end their business with MEHL, we condemn their remaining ties with the military and their illegal junta,” JFM spokeswoman Yadanar Maung said.

Posco’s announcement, following similar decisions by Japanese brewer Kirin and Australian oil and gas giant Woodside, places the spotlight firmly on French oil company Total, which has resisted pressure to suspend its Myanmar ­operations. The company, which contributed close to $US230m in revenue to the Myanmar state in 2019 alone, has also rejected calls to withhold royalties and taxes from the junta or to stop production at its lucrative Yadana gas field.