Damage to a building is seen following a bombardment carried out by Myanmar’s military in Thabeikkyin township, in the Mandalay region of central Myanmar on August 2, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AFP
“Malaysia will lead a regional delegation to Myanmar next month after the junta scrapped its state of emergency,” Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan announced on Friday (August 8, 2025).
Mr. Mohamad told reporters the trip will “most likely” take place on September 19 and include the foreign ministers of Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. “I want to get a clear picture for me to bring to the attention of the ASEAN leadership in October,” he said, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ year-end summit.
Malaysia currently chairs the bloc, which has tried to increase pressure on member state Myanmar’s junta, including by barring its leaders from summits, over the ongoing bloodshed.
But the ASEAN has so far been fruitless in its diplomatic efforts to end Myanmar’s conflict, triggered by the junta’s ousting of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, sparking a many-sided civil war.
Last week, military chief Min Aung Hlaing ended the nationwide state of emergency declared during the coup and touted plans for an election in December.
Opposition groups said they will boycott the vote, while a U.N. expert has branded the exercise a “fraud” designed to legitimise the junta’s continued rule.
Mr. Mohamad said the ASEAN delegation will look into the coming polls. “I want to discuss with them whether their elections will be comprehensive,” he said. Mr. Mohamad pointed out that “there are still 63 cities or areas currently still under a state of emergency”.
Most of them are conflict zones or areas under the control of anti-junta groups.
No exact date has yet been set for the election.
Published – August 08, 2025 10:53 pm IST
