Key facts
- ASEAN special envoy Maria Theresa Lazaro met with Myanmar rebel groups and a military negotiation committee in Thailand.
- The talks focused on advancing an inclusive national political dialogue.
- All parties involved expressed openness to dialogue.
- The National Unity Government was not invited and voiced concerns about the meeting's purpose.
- Myanmar's military leadership has been excluded from high-level ASEAN meetings.
ASEAN's special envoy for Myanmar, Maria Theresa Lazaro, held discussions in Thailand with representatives from ethnic minority rebel groups and a military-formed National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee. The meetings, held on Monday, aimed to explore a path toward an inclusive national political dialogue amidst Myanmar's ongoing civil war.
According to a statement from the Philippines' foreign ministry, all sides expressed openness to the dialogue process and emphasized its importance. These talks followed a separate meeting on Sunday between ASEAN foreign ministers and their Myanmar counterpart, the first face-to-face engagement since the 2021 military coup.
Myanmar's army-backed leadership has been excluded from high-level ASEAN meetings due to its failure to implement the bloc's Five-Point Consensus peace initiative. However, some ASEAN members remain hopeful that engagement could lead to progress.
Analysts, however, have expressed concern that re-engaging with the current government, led by former junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, could diminish ASEAN's leverage. The National Unity Government (NUG), a parallel administration formed by remnants of Aung San Suu Kyi's ousted party, stated it was not invited to the talks and questioned whether the discussions would adhere to the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus or the junta's own peace plan.
The military-backed government, which took office in April, had announced plans for peace talks with opposition armed groups within 100 days. The 2021 coup triggered widespread protests and a civil war that has resulted in an estimated 100,000 deaths and 3.6 million displaced people.