Questions have begun to mount over a shift in ASEAN’s approach toward closer engagement with Myanmar’s military government nearly five years after the coup, with critics expressing concern that the bloc risks emboldening the junta despite its repeated failure to comply with the group’s peace roadmap.

By offering the Myanmar junta an informal seat at the table without demanding accountability, ASEAN risks trading its diplomatic leverage for the hollow illusion of progress.

Questions have begun to mount over a shift in ASEAN’s approach toward closer engagement with Myanmar’s military government nearly five years after the coup, with critics…