ASEAN sticks to its Myanmar peace plan five years and counting
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) called on Burma to cease violence against civilians and release all political prisoners in a joint statement from 10 of the 11 member states following the conclusion of the ASEAN 48th Summit in Cebu, Philippines, on Saturday. ASEAN expressed “deep concern” over the lack of progress in Burma towards the implementation of its Five-Point Consensus.
This is the regional bloc’s peace plan developed in response to Senior General Min Aung Hlaing’s military coup in Burma on Feb. 1, 2021. It calls for an end to violence, the release of political prisoners, and inclusive dialogue among stakeholders. Min Aung Hlaing, who became regime leader after the 2021 coup, agreed to the ASEAN peace plan in April 2021 but failed to implement it upon his return to Naypyidaw.
ASEAN welcomed the amnesty for Burma’s elected leaders, including the release of President Win Myint from Taungoo Prison on April 17 and the reported transfer of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi from Naypyidaw Prison to house arrest on April 30. The Philippines, serving as ASEAN 2026 chair, urged Burma to grant its Special Envoy Ma Theresa Lazaro access to Aung San Suu Kyi in a statement prior to the summit, on May 6.
Philippines calls it a ‘thorny problem’ with no clear solutions
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed frustration over the “slow progress” Burma has made in attempting to implement the Five Point Consensus at the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, Philippines, on Friday. He described Burma’s crisis since the 2021 coup as a “thorny problem” with no clear solutions, describing the situation over the last five years as an ongoing “low-level civil war.”
“We all agree that we would like to see more progress. We all agree that we all should try very hard to find ways to shift what has become a moribund process right now. It is not moving,” Marcos said at a press conference in Cebu on May 8. “Myanmar is not merely a friend to ASEAN. Myanmar is part of the ASEAN family, and it is a tragedy when a family member is left out of the family for whatever reason,” he added.
ASEAN member states agreed to task their foreign ministers with exploring new approaches for normalization efforts with Min Aung Hlaing’s regime in Naypyidaw. The ASEAN leaders held a closed-door retreat session, with several member states expressing disappointment over the lack of progress in Burma since April 2021, which was the last time Min Aung Hlaing was invited to an ASEAN meeting. Read more
‘Cebu Declaration’ made at 48th ASEAN summit
A protest was held in Cebu on Saturday by “solidarity advocates,” along with labour groups, and regional allies from across Southeast Asia following the conclusion of the 48th ASEAN summit on May 8. The groups issued a “Cebu Declaration,” which calls on the Philippines, and the other ASEAN member states, to reject Min Aung Hlaing’s efforts to gain legitimacy as Burma’s president after he was inaugurated on April 10.
The “Cebu Declaration” calls on ASEAN to condemn Min Aung Hlaing’s “unlawful, violent, fraudulent, and oppressive 2025-2026 elections,” which ended on Jan. 25. The military-proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) won a landslide victory without any opposition parties on the ballot. It demands that ASEAN engage with the National Unity Government (NUG), a group representing elected lawmakers ousted in the 2021 coup.
Kao Kim Hourn, the ASEAN Secretary-General, told media that foreign ministers have agreed to a virtual meeting with Burma’s regime Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe in the “very near future.” Naypyidaw sent its Permanent Secretary at the regime Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hau Khan Sum, to the ASEAN 48th summit on May 7-8. ASEAN has banned all senior regime officials from attending high-level meetings since April 2021.
News by Region
BAGO—At least six people, including three children, were reportedly killed and five others were injured by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force on four villages in Htantabin and Phyu townships on Thursday. Phyu and Htantabin are located 80-112 miles (128-180 km) north of the region’s capital Bago.
One Htantabin resident was killed and 10 homes were damaged in a regime airstrike on May 3. This came after 10 regime troops were killed and two regime outposts were seized by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and the People’s Defence Force (PDF) in nearby areas April 7-12.
SAGAING—Residents of Shwebo town told DVB that regime forces arrested 50 males and sent them to a military training school under the conscription law May 6-7. Shwebo, located 57 miles (91 km) northeast of the region’s capital Monywa, is contested between regime forces and the PDF.
Shwebo residents said the arrests have forced many local males aged 18-35 to go into hiding or flee the town. The regime enforced its conscription law in 2024. It stipulates males 18-35 and females 18-27 must serve up to two years in the military, which can be extended to five years in an emergency.
SHAN—Fifty-two Chinese and four Burma nationals were arrested on May 4 for alleged connections to cyber scam operations in Mong Pan Township. Mong Pan, located 169 miles (273 km) southeast of the state capital Taunggyi, is the headquarters of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS).
A raid found 12 computers, four Starlink routers, and other electronics destroyed inside a compound that was allegedly used for cyber scams. A Mong Pan resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity that after the raid on the scam compound the Chinese nationals have remained in the town.
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