As the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations grapples with its biggest rift in years over how to treat Myanmar¡¯s military regime, one thing is clear: Nobody actually wants the bloc to expel the generals.
Cambodia, which holds ASEAN¡¯s rotating chairmanship, delayed a meeting of the group¡¯s top diplomats this week as divisions emerged following Prime Minister Hun Sen¡¯s visit to Myanmar earlier this month. On that trip, the Cambodian leader invited Myanmar¡¯s foreign minister to participate in official meetings and met with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, whom ASEAN last year barred from a regional summit.
Those moves generated a backlash from other key members, with Malaysia¡¯s foreign minister saying Hun Sen should¡¯ve held consultations before conducting a trip that legitimized the regime. In a phone call with the Cambodian leader last week, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said ASEAN should continue to exclude Myanmar¡¯s leaders from meetings until ¡°significant progress¡± had been made on a five-point plan to halt violence and hold talks with Aung San Suu Kyi and other deposed leaders.
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