The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 2026 Chair, the Philippines, Special Envoy on Myanmar and Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro will lead a humanitarian delegation to the country on Wednesday to discuss efforts to expand humanitarian access across the conflict-hit country, according to diplomatic sources.
The sources, who requested anonymity, said Lazaro will visit Naypyidaw on Oct. 28–29 to meet senior officials, including regime Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe to discuss ASEAN efforts to address Myanmar’s humanitarian needs.
The delegation will include senior officials and experts from the Indonesia-based ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre).
Lazaro and the AHA Centre team will also visit the Shan State capital Taunggyi, where she will meet local relief officials from various organizations to discuss humanitarian needs.
Asked about ASEAN’s request for a meeting with jailed Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi during the two-day visit, the sources said no such meeting had been arranged.
Aung San Suu Kyi is serving an 18-year prison sentence after previous reductions from her original 33-year prison sentence.
Regime media reported on April 30 that Aung San Suu Kyi was transferred from her prison cell to house arrest in Naypyidaw, but no independent verification has been provided.
There has been considerable media speculation that Lazaro will meet Aung San Suu Kyi following recent positive developments allowed by the regime, including a 20-minute phone call with her son, Kim Aris, on Oct. 22.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow praised the moves by the regime in Naypyidaw as signs of progress.
He reiterated that the Myanmar crisis must be resolved by the Myanmar people themselves, while Thailand could offer assistance and advice.
Under Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s administration, Thailand has adopted a proactive approach to engaging with senior regime officials in Naypyidaw, including hosting regime leader Min Aung Hlaing in Bangkok.
In mid-July, Bangkok hosted an informal meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers to hear first-hand accounts from the regime about developments in Myanmar following its elections, which were labelled a sham by the U.N. and several western countries.
The sources also noted that Myanmar had established an ASEAN Affairs Coordinating Committee to prepare for the country’s return to the ASEAN fold.
The committee recently held its first meeting to outline measures for implementing the bloc’s Five-Point Consensus. Myanmar has also drawn up its own five-point roadmap, which it says will guide efforts to resolve the conflict that began in February 2021.
ASEAN foreign ministers have reiterated that Myanmar has yet to fulfil the Five-Point Consensus, which is the regional bloc’s peace plan for Myanmar, agreed upon in April 2021.
As a result, the bloc continues to exclude senior regime officials from Myanmar from its high-level meetings and summits, but lower-level officials are permitted to attend to provide updates on developments and activities.
The upcoming ASEAN summit will be held in Manila, Philippines, from Nov. 16-18.
Nearly 20 world leaders are expected to attend the three-day meetings, including U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
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