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(MoeMaKa), May\u00a09, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n The ASEAN Leaders\u2019 Summit, attended by presidents and prime ministers from the 11 member states, has begun in Cebu, Philippines, which is hosting the meeting on a rotating basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As is widely known, Myanmar\u2014one of the member states\u2014has been barred from attending at the leaders\u2019 and foreign minister levels for nearly five years. This restriction stems from its failure to implement the Five-Point Consensus agreed upon in April 2021, which includes allowing humanitarian assistance and ending violence by armed forces amid the country\u2019s ongoing civil war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, only a representative at the permanent secretary level from Myanmar\u2019s military-run foreign ministry has been invited and is attending the current summit in the Philippines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ASEAN has consistently raised concerns about Myanmar\u2019s internal conflict, cross-border refugee flows, urgent humanitarian needs, drug production and trafficking, as well as human smuggling and trafficking. Over the past five years, the bloc has repeatedly called on Myanmar\u2019s military leaders to release political prisoners\u2014including opposition leaders\u2014and to permit humanitarian access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Myanmar\u2019s military government has not fully complied with these demands. It has also later indicated that it never fully agreed with the Five-Point Consensus adopted at the Jakarta summit in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, more than five years after the coup, the military has held an election under its own arrangement. Following this, the coup leader assumed the presidency and appears to be seeking ASEAN recognition through a nominal civilian government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the first day of the summit, May 8, Thailand\u2019s prime minister stated that the Myanmar issue is testing the unity of ASEAN member states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In early April, just days after assuming the presidency, Myanmar\u2019s military leader released former President U Win Myint from prison. A few days later, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was transferred from prison to a residence in Naypyidaw. Some ASEAN member states view these moves as possible steps toward re-engaging Myanmar\u2019s military leaders in ASEAN meetings. However, others consider them insufficient and prefer maintaining the current restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are also indications that some countries are open to engaging with Myanmar\u2019s military officials, even if only through online channels, suggesting a desire to slightly soften ASEAN\u2019s stance toward the junta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ASEAN aims to encourage dialogue and push for the release of political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and has acknowledged the release of U Win Myint as a positive step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At a meeting held shortly after assuming the presidency, Myanmar\u2019s military leader invited ethnic armed groups to engage in dialogue within a 100-day timeframe regarding the ongoing conflicts. However, forces under the National Unity Government (NUG), such as the People\u2019s Defense Forces (PDF), were only told to surrender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ASEAN as a bloc has not officially recognized the election results in Myanmar. However, some individual member states have engaged with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing as the head of the newly formed government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thailand, in particular\u2014given its close ties and the direct impacts it faces from developments in Myanmar\u2014has taken a relatively more flexible stance toward Myanmar\u2019s military leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At this summit, however, the Myanmar issue is competing with more immediate regional concerns. Chief among them is the fuel crisis triggered by the U.S.-Iran conflict affecting East Asian countries. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted supplies of oil and natural gas, leading to shortages of fertilizers and rising prices\u2014significantly impacting many ASEAN countries, especially Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Myanmar, Laos, and the Philippines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a result, the summit is also focused on finding cooperative solutions among ASEAN members to address shortages and rising costs of essential goods derived from oil and gas, including energy, fertilizers, and plastics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Against this backdrop, Myanmar\u2019s ongoing civil war and armed conflict continue to weigh heavily on the ASEAN Leaders\u2019 Summit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Myanmar Spring Chronicle \u2013 Scenes from May 8 (MoeMaKa), May\u00a09, 2026 ASEAN Leaders\u2019 Summit and the Myanmar Issue The ASEAN Leaders\u2019 Summit, attended by presidents and prime ministers from the 11 member states, has begun in Cebu, Philippines, which is…<\/p>\nASEAN Leaders\u2019 Summit and the Myanmar Issue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n