Ex-Thai DPM: Myanmar must end conflict or face humanitarian crisis

PHNOM PENH: Former Thai Deputy Prime Minister Prof Dr Surakiart Sathirathai said Myanmar military leaders and all resistance groups must end the conflict immediately, failing which could drive the nation into a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
Surakiart, who was also the former Thai foreign minister, said the derailed peace process coupled with the recent earthquake has only punished millions of innocent Myanmar people.
At least 3.5 million have been displaced internally due to the armed conflict and the March earthquake killed over 3,800 people.
According to the Myanmar Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, 15.2 million or one in four people are already facing hunger in 2025.
The current ceasefire, declared by the junta to facilitate relief efforts post-earthquake, will expire on May 31.
'2025 is a crucial year for peace in Myanmar. We have to work together to ensure that the ceasefire and inclusive dialogue can take place before the election.
'The fighting on the ground that we have seen in the past years has come to the point that no one can win total control of the territory in Myanmar,' Surakiart, currently the Asian Peace and Reconciliation Council Chairman, told Bernama from Bangkok.
The veteran politician served as Thailand's deputy prime minister between 2005 and 2006 and was the foreign minister from 2001 to 2005.
He said the fighting shows that the Myanmar people need humanitarian assistance. While the Tatmadaw (armed forces) has announced the election, it will only lead to more division, whether it's free and fair or not, he said.
Surakiart said the crucial Five Point Consensus (5PC) adopted by ASEAN leaders in April 2021 has not been fully implemented.
He said that through the consensus, it called for the immediate cessation of violence and constructive dialogue among all parties, but neither has happened in the past three years.
The deepening crisis continues to be a major geopolitical concern, with Southeast Asian leaders attending the 46th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur under Malaysia's 2025 chairmanship earlier this week reiterating their call for Myanmar to recommit to the 5PC as the primary framework for resolving the crisis.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan has stressed that compliance with the 5PC must be a prerequisite to holding the election.
On May 21, Myanmar's Union Electoral Commission (UEC) stated that the election date has been tentatively set and will be announced soon, following the SAC's announcement that the election would be held in December or January next year.

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