ASEAN Revives Myanmar Peace Talks With Military and Rebels
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- ASEAN special envoy Maria Theresa Lazaro, the Philippines' foreign minister, held separate meetings with Myanmar's military-backed National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee and six rebel groups, including the Karen National Union and Karenni National Progressive Party.
- Thailand's Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, speaking at a Wednesday briefing, said all sides recognized a military solution was not in their interests and offered Thailand as a facilitator and venue for future peace talks.
- Rebel groups are open to dialogue but have not yet reached a common position, which they are currently working on, Sihasak said, framing the current stage as "talks for talks" on how and where negotiations would occur.
- ASEAN foreign ministers held their first in-person talks with their Myanmar counterpart since the 2021 coup on Sunday, marking a revival of the bloc's stalled diplomacy.
- Thailand and ASEAN have not abandoned the "Five-Point Consensus" peace plan and hope to meet detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi face to face.
- An estimated 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in Myanmar's civil war since the 2021 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's government.
Why it matters: With 100,000 dead and millions displaced since 2021, any return to ASEAN-led mediation matters — but Sihasak himself described the stage as "talks for talks," meaning six rebel groups have not yet unified their position and the military-backed side has only acknowledged, not agreed, that fighting won't solve the conflict. Thailand is betting that hosting venue and logistics can break four years of deadlock on the Five-Point Consensus.
