Myanmar’s pro-military administration has pushed back against the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) special envoy appointed by the regional bloc’s 2026 Chair the Philippines, days after regime leader Min Aung Hlaing made a landmark visit to Thailand.
The relationship between Myanmar and ASEAN has been strained since early 2021 when the military ousted an elected civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking a nationwide civil war that has killed an estimated 100,000 people and displaced millions, and keeping her locked up in isolation ever since.
Myanmar’s senior regime officials, including Min Aung Hlaing, has since been banned from top-level ASEAN meetings and summits over their failure to implement a “five-point consensus” peace plan agreed with the bloc in April 2021.
In a weekend statement, the regime’s foreign ministry said an ASEAN special envoy for Myanmar was no longer needed, pointing to an election held around the turn of the year.
“Myanmar is of the view that the appointment and the continued role of the new special envoy of the ASEAN chair are no longer necessary,” the statement said.
The widely criticised election held in December and January was won by a military-proxy political party in the absence of any substantial opposition, allowing Min Aung Hlaing to transition from military rulers to the country’s presidency.
After talks between Min Aung Hlaing and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul in Bangkok last week, Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said that Thailand wants peace and stability in Myanmar and is not abandoning the ASEAN peace plan.
However, Myanmar’s pro-military parliament last month passed a motion rejecting the bloc’s plan, calling it interference and adding that ASEAN should reassess its position on the country.
Suu Kyi detention
The regime’s foreign ministry statement followed one issued by ASEAN on Friday, which noted a meeting last week between jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) official.
The Aug. 7 ASEAN statement also reiterated the bloc’s desire for the current ASEAN envoy — the Philippine foreign minister Ma. Theresa Lazaro — to meet with Suu Kyi and called for her unconditional release, alongside other political prisoners.
The 81-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner is currently serving an 18-year sentence for a series of offences she denies committing, with no foreign leader or envoy having publicly met her until last week’s meeting with the ICRC representative.
In response to ASEAN’s position on Suu Kyi, the regime said: “Although the government has commuted her sentences based on humanitarian considerations, the matter of a full and unconditional release shall only be carried out in accordance with the law.”
REUTERS
