Myanmar turmoil: UN envoy Noeleen Heyzer holds talks with Cambodia’s Hun Sen, calls on Asean to bring ‘humanitarian pause’ to violence

Newly appointed special envoy Noeleen Heyzer called for an end to the fighting in Myanmar so Asean’s ‘Five-Point Consensus’ peace road map can be implemented

The veteran official’s comments follow reports of intensified violence in Myanmar, and amid turmoil within the regional bloc over how to deal with the generals

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Noeleen Heyzer, the United Nations’ newly appointed special envoy for Myanmar. Photo: Handout

Published: 2:24pm, 13 Jan 2022Updated: 2:34pm, 13 Jan 2022

The United Nations’ newly appointed special envoy for Myanmar, Noeleen Heyzer, has called on Asean to work with the UN to facilitate a “humanitarian pause” to the fighting and escalating strife in the junta-ruled nation.

In a press statement issued after talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Heyzer said the immediate cessation of violence and “utmost restraint” by all parties was key to the implementation of Asean’s “Five-Point Consensus” peace road map for the embattled country.

Heyzer’s remarks come amid signs of turmoil within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations over how to deal with Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, left, shakes hands with junta chief Min Aung Hlaing on January 7 during a two-day official visit to Myanmar. Photo: An Khoun Samaun / National Television of Cambodia Handout via EPA

While Hun Sen, Asean’s current chair, has indicated a preference for engaging with the junta, major players in the bloc such as Malaysia and Indonesia are insisting that the generals remain isolated, in line with existing policy, until the Five-Point Consensus plan has been fully implemented.

With the bloc split, talks among its foreign ministers scheduled for next week have been indefinitely postponed.

Cambodia has suggested this deferral was caused by schedule clashes, but diplomatic sources confirmed to This Week in Asia that the postponement was a “face-saving” measure, as several ministers had hinted that they would not attend as a form of boycott.