Jakarta: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is facing mounting pressure over its failure to put an end to the ongoing, deadly violence in Myanmar, according to Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who stated on Thursday that the organization's credibility is in jeopardy.

With the exception of the junta leaders of Myanmar, who were prohibited from attending due to their lack of progress in implementing a peace plan endorsed by the regional grouping in 2021, ASEAN leaders gathered this week for the first of their biannual summits in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara.

Violence in Myanmar has increased in the more than two years since the military junta seized control and launched a bloody crackdown on opponents. One of the most recent incidents involved an assault on a humanitarian convoy carrying diplomats from Singapore and Indonesia.

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For the benefit of humanity, Indonesia is willing to speak with anyone, including the junta, and all parties involved in Myanmar, Widodo said at a press conference following the summit. "ASEAN's credibility is on the line," he added. As he continued, "engagement doesn't mean recognition."

As ASEAN's chair this year, Indonesia claimed that as part of its efforts to promote dialogue and the execution of its peace plan, which has not been carried out since the bloc forged it with Myanmar's top general in April 2021, it has reached out to numerous stakeholders in Myanmar to discuss potential solutions.

The Five-Point Consensus plan, also known as 5PC, called for an immediate end to the violence in Myanmar and for conflicting parties to engage in dialogue to find a peaceful solution. An ASEAN special envoy would mediate the talks.

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Widodo told the leaders of Southeast Asia, "I have to be honest, there hasn't been any significant progress in the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus, so we need ASEAN unity to formulate our next steps."

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a non-governmental organisation that keeps track of killings and arrests, security forces have killed more than 3,450 people since the junta came to power, and thousands more are still behind bars.

At least 100 people were killed in an airstrike in April, the majority of whom were civilians, many of whom were children. On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch referred to the assault as a war crime.

According to Lina Alexandra, senior researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, there is some disagreement within ASEAN about how it should actually handle the Myanmar crisis.

"Indonesia is at a very critical point right now, and the lack of progress indicates that Indonesia needs to work even harder," she said. Indonesia "needs to be much more bold... and also to be more brave, especially to discuss this further with the other ASEAN leaders... to push for a breakthrough."

ASEAN leaders highlighted the "need for an implementation plan that outlines concrete, practical and measurable indicators with a specific timeline to support the Five-Point Consensus" in a review meeting held in November, and they charged their foreign ministers with creating such a plan.

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It will be a significant accomplishment if Indonesia's chairmanship this year can truly state, "This is the implementation plan that ASEAN has decided on how we can implement the 5PC," Alexandra said.

Indonesia has admitted there hasn't been much progress, but there still needs to be a fix for the issue. Reiterating the issue does not actually resolve it, is it not? said Alexandra. What is your suggested solution to the problem presented here?