ASEAN Beat | Diplomacy | Southeast Asia

Myanmar Denies ASEAN Chair’s Request for Meeting With Aung San Suu Kyi

In late May, the military announced that it had transferred the 81-year-old former leader from prison to house arrest.

Myanmar’s military-backed government has denied a request for the special envoy of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to meet with detained former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The 81-year-old Nobel laureate has been in custody since February 1, 2021, when the army seized power from her National League for Democracy-led government. Suu Kyi was originally sentenced to a total of 33 years in prison in late 2022 on a range of far-fetched charges, including incitement, corruption, election fraud, and violation of Myanmar’s Official Secrets Act.

In late May, as part of an international public relations campaign, the authorities announced that they had moved Suu Kyi from prison to a “designated residence,” where she will serve out the rest of her sentence. It also reduced her sentence by one-sixth, leaving her with 18 years and nine months to serve.

The Philippines, the bloc’s current chair, expressed cautious optimism about the decision to transfer Suu Kyi to house arrest. It also expressed “hopes” that the authorities would permit the special envoy, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, “brief access” to the detained leader in order to fulfill her role of engaging “all stakeholders and parties to create an environment conducive to inclusive national dialogue.”

However, a spokesperson for President Min Aung Hlaing’s office said that the ousted leader would not be permitted to meet with any foreign officials.

“Aung San Suu Kyi has been prosecuted under the law and is serving sentences,” Khaing Khaing Soe told reporters in Naypyidaw on Tuesday, as per the AFP news agency. “Therefore she is not allowed to meet with international representatives.” She added that “only after her sentence” might she be granted permission.

ASEAN has blocked Myanmar’s military from sending representatives to its summits since late 2021........

© The Diplomat