Asean leaders understand too well the grouping's most famous nemesis, Suu Kyi, is going to shape her country's future with Asean in the next five years. The challenge is how Asean can interpret her complicit silence in this pivotal relationship in ways that would not undermine the full integration of the Asean Community, which begins on December 31.
After its admission to Asean in 1997, Myanmar has been suffering from all kinds of prejudices and heavily ostracised by its members and dialogue partners due to human rights violations and political oppression within the country. When it was time for Nay Pyi Taw to chair Asean in 2005, the besieged nation opted out for good, citing unpreparedness and domestic turmoil as key reasons.
For the next 10 years, the ruling military regime under the strongman, General Than Shwe, pursued unwaveringly the seven-point peace plan, which began in 2003 and ended with the recent election - but with extremely high casualties.
The military crushed the Silk Revolution harshly in 2007, which drew heavy condemnation from Asean and the international community at large. Even amid the human tragedy after Cyclone Nargis hit the Irrawaddy Delta in May 2008, the regime went ahead with the planned referendum on a constitution six months later. (Courtesy of nationmultimedia.com)
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