Malaysia upholds its stance of only inviting non-political Myanmar representatives

Malaysia's policy of only inviting non-political officials from Myanmar to Asean's high-level meetings will stay unaltered unless the Five-Point Consensus is fully implemented (5PCs).

This perspective was voiced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob during a video conference with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen today, according to the Malaysian Foreign Ministry (Wisma Putra).

He also reaffirmed Malaysia's position on the need for the Asean Chair's Special Envoy on Myanmar to have access to all parties involved in the country in order to find a peaceful solution in Myanmar's best interests.

Malaysia endorses the selection of Prak Sokhonn (Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister) as the new Special Envoy in this regard, according to the statement.

Ismail Sabri emphasised the urgent need for the situation in Myanmar to de-escalate and for violence against civilians to end.

In the interests of Myanmar's people, he also called for an open political discourse with all parties involved, as well as the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi and U Win Myint.

Proposed actions to resolve the situation in Myanmar, according to the Prime Minister, should be discussed at the level of Asean Foreign Ministers and Senior Officials.

"Malaysia concurred with the Asean Chair's suggestion to convene the Asean Foreign Ministers' Retreat as soon as practicable," the statement stated.

Ismail Sabri also emphasised that Malaysia remained dedicated to assisting Asean's efforts to give humanitarian assistance to Myanmar's people, according to Wisma Putra.

He emphasised the importance of continuing humanitarian assistance through the Asean Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre), which is supported by Asean member states and global partners.