UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION

Special Envoy Prak Sokhonn’s Press Conference

23 March 2022

I have just completed my two-day visitation to Myanmar as ASEAN Special Envoy. It was a busy mission
with a lot of meetings with relevant stakeholders. The purpose of my visit was to monitor the development
of the results from Prime Minister Hun Sen’s visitation during 7-8 January, the phone conversation between
Prime Minister Hun Sen and Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, and the meeting between the foreign
ministers of ASEAN during 17 February 2022. His Excellency Cham Prasidh and Dato Lim Jock Hoi
accompanied me.

In this press conference, I would like to focus on three points:

1. Activities in Myanmar and the result of meeting
2. Evaluation of my visit
3. Direction of the future

Let's start with the first point. The first day of my visit was 21 March 2022 which is also the first day I met
with Min Aung Hlaing. Then I met high-position officials of the State Administrative Council to discuss
strategies to achieve the Five-Point Consensus. Indeed, I met with Wunna Maung Lwin, the Minister of
Foreign Affairs to discuss political aspects and general reconciliation of the Special Envoys. Then, I met
with Koko Hlaing, Minister for International Cooperation and Chairman of the Task Force on ASEAN
Humanitarian Assistance. We discussed humanitarian aid. The other official I met is Lt. Gen. Yar Pyae,
Union Minister for the Ministry of the Office of the Union Government, and Chairman of the National
Solidarity and Peace-Making Committee. The discussion with him focused on strengthening the ceasefire
and negotiating to stop the violence.

With all discussions, I reminded them about Hun Sen’s previous visit. On my mandate as Special Envoy, I
emphasized my position on the neutrality and non-intervention principles, and sovereignty of Myanmar. I
explained the urgency to achieve the Five-Point Consensus. I concentrated on three points which are: 1)
stop the violence; 2) provide humanitarian aid; and 3) the solution to Myanmar's political conflict. I was
told that Myanmar will conduct political negotiations with relevant stakeholders. I once again emphasized
that every stakeholder must participate in this negotiation.

With regard to stopping violence, I noted the new announcement by the SAC on ceasefires until the end of
2022, and I also emphasized that the most effective way to stop violence requires involvement with every
stakeholder including oppressed groups and ethnic armed groups. Many regional and international members
are concerned about the continued violence and the situation of people. I asked for the utmost patience in
using the armed weapons in order to reduce the tension. I encouraged the adaptation of circumstances to
create a situation for negotiation. I requested the collaboration of the SAC for conducting a consultation
meeting on humanitarian aid that will take place in late April or early May. I provided the document that
stated my visitation’s objective, and I highlighted that humanitarian aid needs to be delivered safely,
indiscriminately to those who need it the most as well as COVID-19 vaccination to wherever possible.
I would like to clarify that the distribution of humanitarian aid must be to everyone and everywhere possible.
Since there are many violent conflicts, if we can open a safe corridor, we should include a vaccination
campaign too. The humanitarian task force has also agreed to this.
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I also recommended “Myanmar’s alliance on solely humanitarian aid”. It does not include politics. We
believe that this mechanism will allocate the resources of ASEAN to Myanmar in the long term. We noted
that ASEAN alone is not enough to help Myanmar, so other countries can help too. This will require support
from the Myanmar people. I highlighted the necessity to have a corridor that is both safe and effective. On
the topic of safety, those people who deliver the aid will also need to be safe and secure for themselves. I
asked Myanmar to have maximum consideration on this issue.

As for the political discussion, I talked about the importance of Special Envoys meeting with every
stakeholder. Even if the SAC viewed some stakeholders as terrorist groups, we insisted, endorsed by
ASEAN members, that every stakeholder must participate in the nation's reconciliation and peace. The
Special Envoy will be a communicator for every stakeholder. This point has been put in the Five-Point
Consensus by ASEAN. As Cambodia has experience with stopping violence and conflict according to the
Win-Win mechanism—Prime Minister Hun Sen negotiated with the Khmer Rouge even though they are
genocidal criminals. For the sustainability of ASEAN, Prime Minister Hun Sen wanted a Troika mechanism
that consists of previous chairmanship, the current chairmanship, and the next chairmanship to achieve the
Five-Point Consensus. One core point of the Five-Point Consensus is to bring Myanmar back to normal.
We noted that the problem of Myanmar requires more than one mandate to achieve. Indeed, the special
meeting in Jakarta last year that concluded the agreement on the Five-Point Consensus showed that every
member recognized the complexity of Myanmar's problem. I also asked them to release political prisoners
as well as the case of Professor Sean Turner, an Australian citizen whose release Prime Minister Hun Sen
had previously asked for. I also raised that the displacement of the Rakhine state to be solved as soon as
possible.

In response to this, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing recognized these problems and suggestions that I had
raised. He has given responsibility to relevant ministers to talk with Special Envoys in consideration of the
current situation of Myanmar. I would like to clarify when I said, I ask for your utmost patience to stop the
violence, Min Aung Hlaing expressed his concern that there is still violence among the ethnic armed force,
the civil defense force, and the importation of weapons. This shows the complexity of Myanmar. On the
other hand, he is optimistic that his first meeting with the Special Envoy will lead the way for Special
Envoys to meet with important stakeholders in this conflict. The SAC will do its best to help. He said that
lives are the most important.

Related to the migration of refugees from Rakhine state, Min Aung Hlaing informed that authorities in
Myanmar have approved the application of those refugees and wait for their return. Myanmar humanitarian
aid task force of ASEAN has asked for a transit center for those refugees.

In all these meetings with all these ministers and officials, I reminded them that the Five-Point Consensus
is important for Myanmar to return to our ASEAN Community. I discuss the strategy that ASEAN could
help Myanmar achieve political negotiations, receive indiscriminately humanitarian aid.

In a press release from Prime Minister Hun Sen’s visitation, it is highlighted that Special Envoys will be
welcomed in the ceasefire negotiation. Yar Pyae says he will help coordinate between the Special Envoys
and ethnic armed groups in the next visitation.
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The second day of the visit, March 22, 2022. We traveled from Naypidaw to Yangon to meet with other
ASEAN ambassadors, UN Specialized Agency, and Ko Ko Gyi. We checked the Myanmar Red Cross
storage that stocks ASEAN Center’s humanitarian aid. I also planned to Madame Su Su Lwin who was the
first lady of President Htin Kyaw but that was canceled because she was COVID-19 positive. In Yangon,
I listened to evaluations from intellectual diplomats. As for the meeting with UN Specialized Agency, it
was useful for us to understand the struggle of delivering humanitarian aid such and its effects on the
economy, hygiene, vaccine, etc. Their contributions will help a lot in the next consultation meeting.

The second point is the evaluation. This evaluation has been consolidated from people who were with me,
and Dato Lim Jock Hoi. I know that regional and international actors expect violence to stop immediately,
and Myanmar to be back to normal. The outsiders will expect the visitation to have results immediately
especially for the armed conflicts to stop. I would like to say that this fighting did not just start last year or
the last 2-3 years. These conflicts between the military and ethnic armed groups have started since 1948. If
it has been at least 70 years, it is impossible to stop in one day. However, ASEAN, Cambodia, myself as a
Special Envoy, we would like it to stop. Cambodia adopted a realistic problem-solving mechanism and a
step-by-step mechanism. This approach is important for the complexity and root cause of Myanmar's
situation. I understand the criticism of my visitation that it would legitimize the SAC. On this point, I would
clarify: the first visitation of the Special Envoy generally has been welcomed and encouraged, and is
important to achieve the Five-Point Consensus. The conversation with relevant stakeholders, not only with
just the SAC, agreed that we are a step closer to each other in terms of mindset and position, and finding a
solution to every obstacle to delivering humanitarian aid. We have the aid, but we are struggling to deliver
them to those in need. The obstacles can be of security, the fighting, the legality, the administrative issues
that can be delay and cause difficulties. This is why Cambodia requested a consultation meeting. Cambodia
still stands that we would like to help and meet with other stakeholders.

My evaluation is that those stakeholders are not ready to cooperate. They still insist on fighting and
eliminating one another. We cannot stop them with one visitation, but we are still looking for a connecting
point for them to achieve democratic transformation. All in all, the benefit of this first visitation is that we
showed Myanmar, ASEAN and the international community’s expectations.

On the third point regarding the direction of the future, the next activity is planning the consultation meeting
in late April or early May in order to listen to perspectives as well as exchange discussions on how to
effectively deliver humanitarian aid. In this next meeting, we make sure to deliver those aid without
obstacles. We will discuss with the SAC and relevant stakeholders my three suggestions. 1) Troika
mechanism; 2) Myanmar alliance; and 3) humanitarian corridors. These suggestions are only to help
Myanmar come back to normal.

This is not only Cambodia’s mission, but it is ASEAN’s mission. The next ASEAN Special Envoy will still
have the same position—problem-solving and working with mechanisms in accordance with ASEAN.

I want to highlight that our visit does not legitimize the other’s side. We did not receive any benefit. We
went to help the Myanmar people because we used to experience that. To achieve peace, every stakeholder
must participate.
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Q&A

Q: Is the visitation as you expected?

A: [VIDEO THAT WAS UPLOADED ONLINE WAS DISCONNECTED DURING THIS PART.] We
learned a lot from diplomats and different stakeholders.

Q: In the Five-Point Consensus, to what extent have been achieved?

A: Three points are important that we need to achieve. 1) is ceasefire; 2) provide humanitarian aid; and 3)
politically negotiations. We have not achieved any of that. They are not ready to negotiate. They are
determined to fight. We ask Myanmar to show utmost patience and use force only necessary. When dealing
with civilians, please use the police force rather than the military. Among the ethnic groups of 120, there
are 20 of them that are armed, and 11 have agreed with the peace and ceasefire agreement. 7 are still
fighting, and 3 of them are major armed groups. As I said, they have been fighting for ages. As for the
distribution of humanitarian aid, we are sending them now. We expect within this year, we could distribute
a big portion of it because we will discuss with the authorities on how to deliver them.

Q: What are the challenges and opportunities for this year versus 2021?
A: In 2021, we did not go to Myanmar because they did not accept our request. Our request was to meet
Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint. This year, we do not have any request, and we do it step-by-step. We
did not pressure to achieve this step or that step. As the Khmer saying goes, “A thousand-mile journey starts
with a single step”. Even though there was criticism saying that our Prime Minister legitimized the military
junta, our Prime Minister still thinks of the interests of ASEAN and Myanmar citizens. Thus, what he has
done has led the way for me. During the ASEAN Foreign Ministers closed meeting on 17 February, no one
put any condition for me when I announced I would visit Myanmar. They have objectives for me, but not
conditions to meet anyone specific. They know better now that placing conditions like that does not achieve
anything, so it is easier for me to work.

Q: Regarding criticism of legitimizing Myanmar’s government, did Cambodia place any request to meet
Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint to at least say we did everything we could as Special Envoy?

A: During the meeting between Prime Minister Hun Sen and Min Aung Hlaing and during the video
conference, Prime Minister Hun Sen raised the issue. Min Aung Hlaing answered that this condition is the
reason that the previous visitation did not happen. When it is my turn, I did not explicitly ask for anything,
but we did ask for a potential person that we think could bring peace to Myanmar like Mr. Ko Ko Gyi.
When I meet with Min Aung Hlaing, I talked about the outcome, the next plan, and I reminded him of the
request. This time, the answer was more open than before. He said, for now, it is hard since she is right now
under legal prosecution which under Myanmar’s law does not permit her to meet anyone. We stressed that
we came to Myanmar to not interfere with domestic proceedings. He said maybe in the following visitations
he may consider it. It is not just Aung San Suu Kyi, but many more. I think it opens more doors for relevant
stakeholders to bring peace to the country.
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Q: After the Five-Points Consensus is achieved, will Myanmar’s leader then be allowed to join ASEAN
meetings?

A: Among ASEAN members, we argued about the participation of Myanmar in the ASEAN meeting. Back
then, some ASEAN foreign ministers believed in Myanmar’s participation in the ASEAN summit, but there
was no consensus. As long as there is no development on the Five-Point Consensus, there should be non-
political representation. However, if we did meet without Myanmar, it would be ASEAN-9. Cambodia’s
position focuses on ASEAN neutrality. We wanted ASEAN to be its own sailor, rather than a powerful
country to help it sail. If ASEAN-10 is very difficult because of geopolitical influence like this, ASEAN-9
would be even harder. I and 3-4 other countries think the same. The others think otherwise. There was no
consensus, so Brunei invites the non-political representation to join. Myanmar thinks a non-political
representation is not suitable for them, so they did not join. Even so, we did a live video conference for
Myanmar to provide updates of the meeting as well as the close of the meeting too. Therefore, if there is
no adequate development on the Five-Point Consensus, Myanmar will be represented by a non-political
representation. I think if they decrease the violence, and there is a willingness to negotiate, a release of
political prisoners, ASEAN members would welcome Myanmar back.