Southeast Asian leaders have called for an extended and expanded ceasefire in Myanmar, as the country reels from escalating violence and a devastating earthquake. The appeal came in a joint statement issued today following a high-level ASEAN meeting.

 

The 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck central Myanmar on 28 March 2025 has only worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis. Amid deepening conflict and civilian suffering, ASEAN leaders urged all parties to halt violence immediately and protect non-combatants.

 

Central to the bloc’s position is the Five-Point Consensus, a framework agreed in 2021 but largely unfulfilled. ASEAN reiterated that it remains the main pathway to peace in Myanmar. Leaders stressed that any solution must be "Myanmar-owned and Myanmar-led," reflecting the bloc’s principle of non-interference, while pushing for real progress on the ground.

 

Notably, ASEAN welcomed recent ceasefires declared by both the Myanmar military and various opposition groups. However, it called for these truces to be extended and expanded nationwide as a first step towards broader peace efforts. This, they say, is essential for creating safe conditions to deliver aid and start meaningful national dialogue.

 

The statement also highlights the need for unimpeded and transparent humanitarian assistance, including cross-border aid where necessary. ASEAN's humanitarian arm, the AHA Centre, is working alongside local and international agencies to coordinate efforts based on on-the-ground assessments.

 

ASEAN’s appeal includes a broader call to the international community — especially the United Nations — to continue backing the regional peace effort. The bloc pledged deeper cooperation with neighbouring countries and external partners to address wider regional fallout, including a spike in drug trafficking, human smuggling, and cybercrime linked to the unrest.

 

While progress remains uncertain, today’s unified call signals ASEAN’s growing urgency to see meaningful change — and a rare moment of consensus on one of the region’s most intractable crises.

 

 

-2025-05-28

This clearly demonstrates one of two possibilities:

 

1. ASEAN is completely oblivious to the nature of the terrorist regime still holding out in parts of Burma; or

 

2. It seeks to aid the military dictatorship in regaining power.

 

The S.A.C. does not respect ceasefires, even when declared by itself and observed by the Resistance forces.  This has been demonstrated multiple times in the past and most recently following this year's devastating earthquake.

 

The regime's understanding of a ceasefire is that the other side downs arms but they do not.

 

Moreover they do not merely strike at the EAOs and PDFs [Ethnic Armed Organisations and People's Defence Forces] but at the non-combatant civilian population, and in particular they target schools, hospitals, monasteries and churches.

Does this not tell ASEAN something ?