FOREIGN Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said Malaysia condemns the execution of four activists by Myanmar’s junta and sees the action as a crime against humanity. 

Saifuddin said this today during a press conference after meeting with Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General on Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer, who echoed the secretary-general’s strong condemnation of the executions as a blatant violation to the right to life, liberty and security of person. 

Saifuddin and Heyzer during the meeting viewed the executions as a setback on Asean’s efforts, including the Five-Point Consensus (5PCs), in finding a solution for Myanmar.

He said the executions took place less than two weeks after the Special Envoy of the Asean Chair to Myanmar, Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, visited Myanmar, and just about a week before the Asean foreign ministers meeting in Phnom Penh on August 3. 

“We look at it as if the junta is making a mockery of the Asean’s 5PCs and I think we really have to look at this very seriously. 

“I believe when Asean foreign ministers meet in Phnom Penh on August 3, we will look into this, regardless of the timing,” he said at the press conference held at the Parliament building.

The execution of the four men – Phyo Zeya Thaw, former lawmaker for the National League for Democracy (NLD); prominent activist Kyaw Min Yu, widely known as Ko Jimmy; Aung Thura Zaw; and Hla Myo Aung – who were all charged under anti-terrorism laws, were the first known judicial executions in Myanmar since 1988, according to Amnesty International, which hitherto has considered the country as “Abolitionist in Practice”. 

The executions last weekend that shocked the world were widely reported and drew international condemnation. 

Since the coup on February 1, 2021, at least 2,114 people have been killed in Myanmar by the self-styled State Administration Council, led by Min Aung Hlaing, in its campaign to suppress the widespread opposition to military rule. 

Both Saifuddin and Heyzer also regret that there was no real progress on the implementation of the 5PCs thus far, and because of that Malaysia is very supportive of the ideas expressed by Heyzer that there should be a proper framework on the implementation. 

Malaysia will present some ideas on the framework during the Asean foreign ministers’ meeting in Phnom Penh with the key element of the framework being that there must be an endgame of the Asean’s 5PCs. 

He said the implementation on the 5PCs must go on and there is a need to strengthen it with a framework to ensure that there is an endgame to it. 

Moving forward, the urgency for inclusive engagement of all stakeholders in Myanmar was stressed by Saifuddin and Heyzer. 

Saifuddin said Malaysia has decided that Myanmar should not be allowed to send political representation to any international ministerial level meeting. 

“Prior to this, Malaysia’s stand was that Myanmar should not be invited to send political representation to all of the Asean summit because we do not see a clear progress of the 5PCs,” he said 

He said the decision was made during the cabinet meeting last Friday on grounds that the Malaysian government is serious on the issue of political representation by Myanmar.

During her two-day mission to Kuala Lumpur at the invitation of Saifuddin, Heyzer said she had productive discussions with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on the situation in Myanmar. – Bernama, July 26, 2022.