Indonesia: Southeast Asian countries are at a "crossroad," a senior Indonesian minister declared on Tuesday, as the threat of escalating violence in junta-ruled Myanmar hung over a summit of the region.

Since a military coup overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi's government more than two years ago and started a bloody crackdown on dissent, Myanmar has been wracked by deadly violence.

Diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis have been led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which has long been criticised as a toothless talking shop.

Also Read: 326 homes for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are starting to be rebuilt by Qatar

However, the junta's refusal to respond to international criticism and to negotiate with its opponents—including expelled lawmakers, the anti-coup "People's Defence Forces" and armed ethnic minority groups—has made those efforts fruitless.

The junta's isolation grew as a result of an airstrike on a village in a rebel stronghold last month that reportedly resulted in the deaths of about 170 people.

It also increased calls for ASEAN to act more firmly to stop the violence or face exclusion.

"ASEAN is at a crossroad," Mahfud MD, Indonesia's coordinating minister for politics, legal, and security, said on the opening day of the summit on Tuesday.
"Crisis after crisis is putting our community's fortitude to the test. 

According to a transcript of his remarks, he listed Myanmar as one of the crises the bloc is currently facing and warned that failing to address them could endanger its relevance.

Human Rights Watch stated on Tuesday that the airstrike that occurred in the central Sagaing region last month was "likely a war crime," and it urged ASEAN to "signal its support for stronger measures to cut off the military's cash flow and press the junta for reform."

After a convoy of cars carrying diplomats and government representatives who were coordinating ASEAN humanitarian aid in Myanmar came under fire on Sunday, pressure on the regional group increased.

Also Read: New offensive by Russia against the national capital of Ukraine is started

Few details about the shooting in eastern Myanmar's Shan State have been made public, but a foreign diplomat in Yangon claimed that diplomats from the Singapore and Indonesian embassies were among the group.

Two employees from Singapore's embassy in Yangon were confirmed to be in the convoy but unharmed. Singapore's foreign ministry stated late Monday that the country "condemns this attack."

Indonesia, which is hosting ASEAN this year, has not yet confirmed whether any of its diplomats were in the cars.

Days prior to the ASEAN summit on the Indonesian island of Flores, which will take place May 9–11, foreign ministers and national leaders will continue their efforts to launch a five-point plan that was agreed upon with Myanmar two years ago after mediation attempts to stop the violence failed.

While their leaders were expected to meet on Wednesday and Thursday, the foreign ministers met on Tuesday.

The army sent more than 9,000 soldiers and warships to the small fishing town that serves as the entrance to Komodo National Park, where visitors can see the largest lizards in the world, in advance of the arrival of officials in Labuan Bajo.

Retno Marsudi, the foreign minister of Indonesia, said in her opening remarks on Tuesday that the ministers had already discussed "the implementation" of the peace plan, but she did not go into further detail.

The shooting on Sunday, according to a diplomat from Southeast Asia, "raises the urgency of Myanmar as a key discussion point at this summit."

According to the US State Department, it is "deeply concerned" about the shooting and has called on the junta to "meaningfully implement the Five-Point Consensus."
Myanmar is still a part of ASEAN, but due to the junta's failure to carry out the peace plan, it is no longer allowed to participate in high-level summits.

Marsudi said on Friday that her nation was engaging in "quiet diplomacy" to communicate with all parties to the Myanmar conflict and encourage fresh efforts towards a solution. Although ASEAN's initiatives are constrained by its charter's principles of consensus and non-interference, it has long been criticised for its inaction.

Also Read: Canada's top diplomat in Shanghai will be expelled by China

Despite the attack on Sunday, US-based analyst Zachary Abuza said the group was unlikely to offer more than "another milquetoast statement of condemnation."

"Had a diplomat been killed, there would have been more pressure on the organisation to do something, but frankly, they've been so feckless in the past two years that it's hard to see them actually acting in a meaningful way," said Abuza.