Group wants Manila to confirm Myanmar junta won’t be invited to Asean summit

The Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) has called on the Philippines to publicly confirm that Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing and other high-ranking junta officials will not be invited to the bloc's upcoming 49th summit in Manila. APHR co-chair Charles Santiago emphasized that Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Leo M Herrera-Lim has informed APHR that no official invitation has been extended to Min, nor will a Myanmar head of government or minister attend the summit.

Santiago stated that APHR welcomes this development and urges the Asean chair to state it publicly. He also expressed APHR's desire for the Nov 15-18 summit to engage with Myanmar's democratic forces, which they claim have become more united since the 2021 military coup. Santiago submitted a letter outlining APHR's position to the Philippine foreign department, which was acknowledged by Herrera-Lim.

The letter urged the Philippines, as Asean chair, to publicly reject any invitation to Min and other senior junta representatives, as well as their participation in the country for the summit.

Additionally, the letter called for the stronger implementation of the Asean Five-Point Consensus through clear, time-bound benchmarks and deeper involvement with Myanmar's democratic forces. Santiago emphasized that the letter also urged the Philippines to prevent Asean from succumbing to pressure from China, Russia, or Thailand to reinvolve the junta in the bloc.

He concluded that Asean's credibility hinges on its support for the Myanmar people rather than the speed with which it welcomes back the general who ousted their government.