Invisible Borders and Capitalist Containment: Migration, Displacement, and ASEAN's Passive Complicity in the Myanmar Crisis

Following the 2021 military coup in Myanmar, more than 3.4 million people had been internally displaced by late 2024, while many others crossed into neighboring states; ethnic minorities and low-income communities have borne disproportionate costs. Some are fleeing systemic oppression, economic collapse, and militarised exploitation of resources. Although much of the international community has condemned the military regime, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) remains committed to its longstanding principle of non-interference, responding with largely symbolic measures such as the Five-Point Consensus. This research argues that ASEAN's limited response exemplifies a regional order shaped by authoritarian capitalism rather than a failure of normative principles. Drawing on a Marxist perspective in international relations, this research positions ASEAN's response within a broader system of capitalist containment, in which displaced populations are treated as surplus labor. These individuals contribute to regional economic systems yet continue to face political marginalization and lack protection. Based on secondary sources and a critical political economy approach, the research shows how the region's silence facilitates the exploitation of migrants through collaboration between state actors and capitalist interests. This dynamic sustains the dominance of elite groups. The crisis in Myanmar, therefore, exposes underlying contradictions at the core of ASEAN regionalism, an approach that endorses economic integration and labor mobility while simultaneously upholding exclusionary legal structures, deep-seated social divisions, and the persistence of authoritarian regimes. Ultimately, this research advocates a fundamental re-evaluation of regional cooperation, emphasizing migrants’ lived experiences rather than prioritizing the security interests of dominant political entities.