Myanmar’s Asean chairmanship will give up its chair in 2026 due to the domestic situation and the country’s unpreparedness, according to diplomatic sources.
The chair will be taken up by the Philippines and Myanmar will follow up the following year in 2027. Laos People’s Democratic Republic will succeed Indonesia as the next Asean chair next year. Then, it will be followed by Malaysia in 2025.
The move by Nayphidaw at this juncture indicates the current and future uncertainty inside the country. The military junta seized power in February 2021 and since then Nayphidaw has had to deal with a myriad of political, economic and social problems. Most importantly, the junta has to fight growing numbers of resistance groups including the People’s Defense Force, Ethnic Armed Organizations, and thousands of militias.
Last week, the junta extended the state of emergency for another six…
