Asean’s credibility at stake as unresolved Myanmar crisis set to dominate summit talks once more

THE eyes and ears of the world will be trained on Jakarta next week, when 27 world leaders and the chiefs of international organisations gather in the Indonesian capital for the second and final Asean Summit of 2023.

This will be the last Asean regional summit that Indonesian President Joko Widodo will host, before he reaches the end of his two-term limit next year. The key issues on the discussion table at the meeting, however, remain largely similar to those on the agenda when the leaders last met on the Indonesian harbour town of Labuan Bajo in May.

Once again, the ongoing bloody civil strife in Myanmar is set to dominate much of the talks from Sep 5 to 7, as the violence continues to rage on after more than two-and-a-half years with no signs of abating.