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ASEAN countries have stayed mostly silent as war rages in the Ukraine prompting international outcry and calls for solidarity.
The Russian invasion of a sovereign nation has prompted pushback from countries around the world and calls for sanctions by NATO and Western Allies.
But while a growing crescendo of voices call to make Russia a pariah state, ASEAN nations have stayed conspicuously silent with many countries adopting a more cautious tone.
Thailand, where Russian tourists make up a large proportion of tourists, made a minor statement expressing concern and hoping for peace.
On the same day that Russian missiles and airplanes killed hundreds, the country’s official tourism authority posted joyfully about a new connecting flight to Russia.
🇹🇭 PRESS RELEASE: The Tourism Authority of Thailand is pleased to report that Russia’s S7 Airlines has introduced a once weekly direct service between Russia’s Novosibirsk and Thailand’s Krabi https://t.co/9d8IuApwaI #Thailand #ThaiTravelNews pic.twitter.com/jtKWeByNMO
— TAT Newsroom (@Tatnews_Org) February 24, 2022
Other countries in mainland Southeast Asia with close ties to China and Russia have stayed completely silent on the issue. Laos and Cambodia, both effectively client states of China, have refused to comment while Myanmar, itself now a junta-controlled dictatorship struggling with a civil war, has also chosen not to criticize its largest arms supplier.
Singapore was the only country from ASEAN that expressed concerns and called for Russia to pull back.
“Singapore strongly condemns any unprovoked invasion of a sovereign country under any pretext. The sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine must be respected,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Singapore.
“We hope military actions will cease immediately; and urge a peaceful settlement of the dispute, in accordance with the UN Charter and international law.”
ASEAN Silence
“It’s a valid question to ask why ASEAN’s reactions on the Ukraine crisis have been rather mute,” Thitinan Pongsudhirak, the Director for the Institute for Security and International Studies, told Thai Enquirer.
“Despite its emphasis on sovereignty maintenance, the nature of ASEAN is not based on ideology and principles. It is for non-interference and state sovereignty but not collectively as an ideology.”
Thitinan used the South China Sea as an example of why a cohesive response was not forthcoming from the bloc.
“On South China Sea, ASEAN has been split on principle and international law, namely the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. ASEAN could not collectively come up with support for the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s decision in favour of the Philippines. It’s not worth picking a fight with Russia.
During the Cold War when Southeast Asia was split and ASEAN comprised 5-6 countries, it was anti-communist. But since the end of the Cold War, ASEAN is not collectively pro/anti anything really. It’s not collective pro-democracy and anti-autocracy,” he said.
According to Thitinan, self-interest and lack of incentive was the main reason for the reticence.
“ASEAN have no real qualm with Russia. ASEAN do not have stakes and interests in Ukrainian territorial integrity. If the country at issue is some other country in which ASEAN has direct stakes and interests, then the organisation might say something overtly. Overall, wading into the Ukraine crisis is outside ASEAN’s strategic purview. It brings more liability than benefit. –What ASEAN would be concerned about is if China were to use the Russian example as opportunism to behave more aggressively with territorial grabs.”
“However, I don’t think China will go that far. China still cares about international perceptions. When it acts belligerently, it always tries to come off with international legitimacy. Not so with regard to Russia,” he said.