By Vijian Paramasivam
PHNOM PENH, April 2 (Bernama) -- Just one week before a powerful earthquake struck Myanmar, the government held a forum aimed at shaping the nation's future beyond 2025.
Hosted by the newly established Myanmar Narrative Think Tank, the forum titled “Myanmar Beyond 2025: Challenges and Opportunities in a Multipolar World” on March 21 sought international perspectives to outline future plans.
Additionally, Myanmar hosted another national-level event, “Peace Talk 2025”, on March 25, to identify plans to contain the ongoing internal conflicts and improve weakening political and economic conditions.
Ironically, dreams of progress and stability were derailed by a powerful earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale that hit the Sagaing Region in central Myanmar last Friday.
Former Nepal Prime Minister Madhav Kumar, who attended the forum, told Bernama that delegates discussed ways to reset Myanmar’s direction towards progress in the multipolar world.
“Like Nepal, Myanmar is sandwiched between two major powers, China and India, and it is important how Myanmar manages its neighbours. It should make its neighbours understand the sentiments of the nation and its people to advocate peace and prosperity,” Madhav said in a telephone interview from Kathmandu a day before the natural disaster.
Madhav served as prime minister from 2009 to 2011.
The mountainous Nepal suffered a deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake that killed over 8,000 on April 25, 2015.
The tiny Himalayan state has also faced the wrath of decades-long political crises due to power struggles.
In Myanmar’s capital Nay Pyi Taw, the forum touched on “Myanmar and Asia’s Role in Changing Multipolar World” and “Geopolitical Challenges and Promising Opportunities of Myanmar in the Multipolar World Beyond 2025”.
Nay Pyi Taw also fell victim to the cruel natural disaster.
Brig (Rtd) Vinod Anand, Senior Fellow and Editor at Vivekananda International Foundation, told Bernama from New Delhi that the earthquake has further pushed the nation into deeper economic and political quagmire.
“The country is fragmented, divided along ethnic lines and the government lacks control of some parts of Myanmar, and the ground reality is changing.
“I am not sure how humanitarian assistance can access places not controlled by the government. Now is the time for ASEAN to expand its five-point consensus, allowing humanitarian assistance into Myanmar,” said Vinod, who also attended the “Myanmar Beyond 2025” forum last week.
The five-point consensus roadmap brokered by ASEAN in Jakarta in 2021 aimed to bring stability to Myanmar following the coup.
However, it failed to impress the sceptical military leaders in Nay Pyi Taw and the plan did not make much progress.
Myanmar state media, The Global New Light of Myanmar, reported on Wednesday that 2,719 deaths, 4,521 injuries, and 441 missing persons were reported as of yesterday.
International government-backed search and rescue operations are still in progress.
-- BERNAMA
