LANGKAWI, January 28 — Former Malaysian Foreign Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Othman Hashim has been named the ASEAN Chair’s Special Envoy on Myanmar, tasked with addressing the ongoing political and humanitarian crisis in the country. The appointment was announced by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ (AMM) Retreat.
“Tan Sri Othman Hashim brings decades of experience to this role. I thank ASEAN members for their commitment to supporting him in carrying out his mandate,” Mohamad said. Othman, who served as Malaysia’s ambassador to multiple countries and the United Nations, is the fifth special envoy appointed since the 2021 Myanmar military coup, which has severely tested ASEAN’s unity and stability.
With Malaysia assuming ASEAN’s chairmanship for 2025, expectations are high for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s administration to play a pivotal role in advancing regional progress and addressing critical challenges like the Myanmar crisis, which continues to strain ASEAN’s consensus-driven framework.
