• OPINION

  Repatriation needs right conditions

  Oped, Published on 27/03/2023

  » Early this month, news broke about plans of Myanmar's military regime to start repatriating some 1,000 Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar's Rakhine State. Myanmar's generals are in a hurry. Reportedly, they want to start repatriation by mid-next month, during Ramadan. The choice of that date is no coincidence.

• OPINION

  Myanmar crisis will vex Asean meet

  News, Published on 17/10/2022

  » The 2022 Asean summit in Cambodia on Nov 10–13 is approaching. Because the crisis in Myanmar goes to the heart of questions about Asean's role in the region, this will no doubt be one of the more problematic issues on the leaders' agenda.

• OPINION

  Asean still toothless a year after Myanmar coup

  News, Published on 24/01/2022

  » The first anniversary of Myanmar's military coup is approaching. Since Feb 1 last year, the country's socio-political landscape has changed dramatically. Brutal fighting has reached many parts of the country and the economy lies in tatters, while the UN warns that half the population may soon slip below the poverty line.

• OPINION

  The long wait for Asean is reaching its limits

  Oped, Published on 06/08/2021

  » Even though Asean may now get a mediation effort started in Myanmar, others who can play a role in helping to address immediate humanitarian needs, particularly related to Covid-19, must go ahead and assist where they can.

• OPINION

  Rakhine engagement must be based on facts

  Oped, Published on 15/05/2021

  » The Asean special summit on Myanmar's crisis in Jakarta on April 24 led to a five-point consensus that has received considerable international attention. But another important paragraph in the summit statement has largely been overlooked.

• OPINION

  When to admit a coup has failed

  Oped, Published on 21/04/2021

  » It had seemed so easy: Close off the access roads into Myanmar's capital Nay Pyi Taw, surround the buildings housing members of parliament and government, as well all chief ministers of the states of the Union, and presto! Your coup d'état delivers itself. That is what the Tatmadaw, as Myanmar's military is called, must have thought.

• OPINION

  Myanmar's coup stalls settlement of Rohingya saga

  News, Published on 06/03/2021

  » Shortly after Myanmar's military coup on Feb 1, a boat packed with Rohingya refugees left Bangladesh. Ten days later, the refugee agency UNHCR reported that the vessel was adrift in the Andaman Sea. It appealed to maritime authorities to provide swift assistance. In late February the vessel was found in Indian waters. Of the 81 people on board, eight had died. A diplomatic spat between India and Bangladesh followed. Neither country wanted to take responsibility for the group.

• OPINION

  Rakhine crisis needs holistic approach

  Oped, Published on 21/10/2020

  » When Myanmar joined Asean in 1997, it was considered a strategic move to counter the influence of China and India. Since then, Asean's relationship with the country has had many ups and downs, often due to persistent reports of human rights abuses.

• OPINION

  Myanmar's Rakhine state teetering towards war

  News, Published on 15/01/2020

  » Rakhine state is descending into growing turmoil. Globally long associated primarily with the brutal oppression of the Rohingya, the much wider dimensions of Rakhine's troubles are now visible, including their international implications. Given their complexity, a broader perspective is badly needed to help bring about stability, development and prosperity for all Rakhine's people.

• OPINION

  Asean opting out of Rakhine efforts

  News, Published on 25/10/2019

  » When Asean foreign ministers last met in Bangkok on July 31 and discussed the Rakhine crisis, their conclusions reflected the lowest common denominator of the bloc's membership. Two years after the enforced mass exodus of more than 700,000 Rohingya from Myanmar to Bangladesh, Asean is at risk of becoming irrelevant to the search for solutions.

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