KATHMANDU: Myanmar’s military-backed government has rejected the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) renewed call for the unconditional release of detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi and questioned the need for the bloc’s special envoy on Myanmar.
Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry said the government would continue working with ASEAN’s current special envoy, Philippine Foreign Minister Maria Theresa Lazaro, but indicated that it did not see a need for the role to continue after Singapore assumes the ASEAN chair on Jan. 1, 2027.
The ministry said Suu Kyi’s full and unconditional release would be carried out only in accordance with Myanmar’s laws, despite the government having commuted her sentences on humanitarian grounds.
Suu Kyi, 81, has been detained since the military seized power from her elected civilian government in 2021. She is serving her sentence under house arrest at an undisclosed location in the capital, Naypyidaw. Her supporters and human rights groups have described the charges against her as politically motivated.
The development came after a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was allowed to visit Suu Kyi last week. It was reportedly the first known contact between her and an independent international humanitarian organisation since her detention five years ago.
The current ASEAN chair, the Philippines, welcomed the visit as a step toward dialogue and reconciliation but called for greater access to political detainees and reiterated its demand for Suu Kyi’s “complete and unconditional release.”
ASEAN adopted a five-point peace plan for Myanmar in April 2021 aimed at ending violence and facilitating dialogue among the country’s opposing sides through a special envoy. However, Min Aung Hlaing, the former army chief who led the military takeover, has been barred from attending ASEAN’s top-level meetings over his government’s failure to implement the plan.
Min Aung Hlaing has sought greater political legitimacy and improved relations with ASEAN since the coup.
In a speech more than three months after being sworn in as president following elections held in December and January, Min Aung Hlaing criticised ASEAN’s peace initiative, accusing some member states of discriminating against Myanmar and saying his government would respond on a case-by-case basis.
Critics have rejected the elections as a sham intended to consolidate the military’s grip on power while creating the appearance of a return to civilian rule.
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