Indonesia's ASEAN Chairmanship Falls Short in Myanmar Peace Efforts, Diplomats Claim

Indonesia, as the current chair of ASEAN, has been making intense efforts to bridge gaps between factions in Myanmar's conflict, but has little to show for its peace drive so far. Despite conducting over 100 contacts with various factions, including the junta, the opposition "shadow government," and rebel militias, none of them are willing to compromise on their conditions to start even informal talks. The shadow National Unity Government (NUG) demands the scrapping of the 2008 constitution and the release of political prisoners, while the junta insists on acceptance of the constitution as a precondition for meeting with the opposition. Questions have been raised about the effectiveness of Indonesia's approach, with concerns that engagement without tangible outcomes may undermine its credibility.