“For two years now, the Five Point Consensus has failed to resolve catastrophic violence in Myanmar. This failure is certainly in part an indication of the Myanmar military’s intransigence. But it is also a clear indictment of the tepid, uncoordinated response of the international community to ongoing human rights violations in Myanmar. The United States government cannot use ‘ASEAN centrality’ as cover for the inadequacy of its own actions to support meaningful progress on this human rights crisis.”
“Centering ASEAN leadership is important for stable and sustainable outcomes. Respecting ASEAN leadership, however, does not mean the United States leaves regional allies to address the crisis alone. There is significantly more that the United States can and should do to bolster ASEAN’s lead: better coordinate and enforce existing targeted sanctions, impose a ban on aviation fuel to Myanmar, and advance stronger UN Security Council follow-up to the December resolution that the military has ignored entirely. Unless the US and other governments step up their response, they are abandoning, not empowering, their ASEAN allies and the people of Myanmar.”
Find Amnesty International’s open letter to the ASEAN chair here.
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