Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim have met with the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, for a wide-ranging discussion on Asean affairs, according to a post on the Malaysian leader’s official X account.
Thaksin joined the meeting in his role as an informal adviser on Asean affairs to Mr Anwar. Each time he travels abroad, Thaksin has to seek court permission as he is currently on bail pending the outcome of a lese-majste case against him.
Among the topics discussed at the meeting on Tuesday was the conflict in Myanmar and ways to revive the Asean Five-Point Consensus (5PC), Mr Anwar wrote in the same post.
The 5PC is a set of agreements to end the Myanmar political crisis and facilitate national dialogue. It emerged from an April 2021 meeting in Jakarta between nine Asean leaders and Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing, who staged the coup that overthrew the elected government in February 2021.
Min Aung Hlaing and the State Administration Council, as the junta is officially known, have repeatedly rebuffed requests by Asean representatives to meet with members of the ousted government or armed ethnic groups, branding all of them as “terrorists”.
Mr Anwar described Tuesday’s meeting as the “most productive” the informal advisory group has held.
“We had very engaging discussions with His Majesty, the most senior Asean leader with a wealth of invaluable experience, across a wide spectrum of matters concerning Asean,” Mr Anwar said, referring to the Sultan.
While Asean remains bound by the 5PC, no effort should be spared to continue the engagement process with all relevant stakeholders, he said.
In this regard, Mr Anwar said he, Thaksin and the Sultan had discussed how best to work towards a positive trajectory to resolve the Myanmar crisis and keep Asean’s respective foreign ministers informed.
The discussions also dealt with concerns over the rising tide of problems associated with a thriving illicit economy dominated by the narcotic drug trade, human trafficking and widespread scam operations, he said.
As for ongoing territorial disputes related to the South China Sea, Mr Anwar said the three agreed that there should be greater multilateral diplomatic progress, so that Code of Conduct negotiations — which have dragged on for three decades — should be concluded sooner rather than later.
A substantive focus was also given to how best to enhance intra-Asean trade and foster greater economic collaboration, including the imperative of a business-friendly and more effective regulatory framework, he said.
Mr Anwar said a strategic thrust in this regard is to promote vibrant capital inflow and stimulate more robust intra-regional growth for shared regional prosperity.
In their talks about cryptocurrencies, he said they discussed the importance of establishing a proper blockchain infrastructure and enabling digital accessibility as key prerequisites for healthy and progressive development for the region.
